Australia’s cruise industry continues to swell with recent CLIA data showing the number of Aussies embarking on ocean cruises surged past pre-pandemic levels in 2023. With two out of three (66%) travellers worldwide considering a cruise for their next holiday, here’s where Aussies most want to set sail.
AllClear cruise travel insurance recently analysed global search data for more than 100 cruising destinations in 44 countries.
When it comes to cruising experiences, Aussie holidaymakers are overwhelmingly keen on sailing the seas with nine ocean-going destinations making it into the top 10 wish list.
The most-searched cruise destinations Down Under
Being an intrepid bunch, the most-searched cruise destination for both Australia and New Zealand is Antarctica, followed by the Caribbean and Mediterranean.
Rounding out the top five dream cruise destinations for Aussies are Vanuatu and South Pacific, showing close-to-home cruises are top of mind.
Only one river journey made it into the top 10 most-searched destinations with a Mekong river cruise coming in at number eight.
Other trending ocean cruises among Australians are the Greek Islands (6), Alaska (7), Papua New Guinea (9) and Hawai’i (10).
Most-wanted cruise destinations worldwide
Globally, the Caribbean was the most-popular cruise destination with a whopping 2.8 million searches between April 2023 – March 2024, followed by the Mediterranean, Alaska, Nile River and Antarctica.
Almost 425,000 cruise intenders are keen on world cruises, while the Seine River, Norwegian fjords, Danube River, Mississippi River and Hawai’i also made it into the top 10 most-searched cruise destinations in the world.
Discover what’s trending in river cruising here.
