The Scottish Are Britain’s Biggest Cruise Spenders

Royal Caribbean has revealed that Scottish cruise passengers are more likely to splash the cash on a cruise holiday than any other British guests.  Research demonstrates the Scottish are more prone to spend money on cabin upgrades and are significantly more likely to book another cruise within two years.

Royal Caribbean’s UK managing director, Stuart Leven, revealed the statistics during the Scottish Passenger Agents Association (SPAA) annual dinner in Glasgow before announcing the cruise line was pumping additional funding into luring even more Scots onto the seas by widening the appeal of cruise holidays.

With new ships, sailing out of the UK, due to enter into service this year and a wide range of new fun features and activities to enjoy, cruise holidays are appealing to a wider demographic than ever before. A total of £3bn worth of new ships are set to launch in the next four years.

SPAA council member and cruise expert, Kennedy Cree, is enthusiastic about the growing cruise industry in Scotland.

“It is the big thing in travel at the moment, but there is overcapacity. Passengers have never had it so good, with so many different places to go. Every major operator is building new ships, and trying to find something different to offer, with Royal Caribbean the trend-setters.

“They provide a ‘resort feel’ to their ships – providing as much aboard as you would find on land.”

P&O Cruises’ Britannia is due to enter service in less than two weeks (14 March 2015) – set to be the largest ship permanently located in the UK. Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas is due to take to seas for the first time next month, and will spend its first season sailing out of Southampton before relocating to New Jersey to complete Bahamas and Caribbean itineraries throughout the winter.

Images sourced via Royal Caribbean Press Center and Flickr Creative Commons. Credits: Dave Conner