In 2017, the number of passengers starting a sea cruise in the European Union (EU) reached 7.0 million, surpassing the previous peak of 6.9 million in 2012.
Most passengers choose Italy to start their cruise…
The vast majority (85%) of passengers started their cruise in one of five Member States in 2017. With 1.9 million passengers, Italy accounted for 27% of the EU total, followed by Spain (1.5 million passengers, or 21%), Germany (1.1 million passengers, or 16%), the United Kingdom (1.0 million passengers, or 14%) and Belgium (0.5 million passengers, or 7%).
… but Southampton and Barcelona are the main departure ports
With 832 000 passengers recorded in 2017, Southampton in the United Kingdom was the main EU departure port for cruise passengers, ahead of Barcelona in Spain with 721 000 passengers.
The sea cruise trips covered by these statistics are those where passengers are provided with their own cabins and on board entertainment. Passengers on ferries or on day excursions by ship are not included.
For more information on Eurostat's transport statistics, take a look at the overview page accessible here.
The source data can be found in Eurostat table mar_pa_aa.
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