The cruise industry has witnessed remarkable growth in recent years, driven by a surge in demand for immersive travel experiences. As the industry continues to evolve, understanding emerging trends is crucial for stakeholders to navigate the future successfully. Digital marketing has become an indispensable tool for the cruise industry, allowing companies to connect with potential passengers, drive bookings, and enhance their brand reputation.

Brands across the travel industry are looking to invest more into their digital marketing channels to ensure they’re in the best position against competitors when it comes to crunch time.

Digital agency BANC has revisited the trends that they covered in their previous research document to see what search terms are on the rise, and which channels are creating the most traffic and bookings, as well as insights from their call tracking partners Mediahawk.

The Cruise Industry Trends of 2024 report also uncovered some new data and trends from the first half of 2024, which cruise businesses can use to inspire and inform any upcoming marketing strategies.

Interest in 2026 Cruises Has Seen a Significant Incline

2026 cruises are already spiking in searches after showing a steady growth in interest
last January.

The report found that cruise audiences aren’t using search to find their cruise holidays anymore.

Instead, the data showed that there was a 25% year-on-year decrease in searches for ‘Cheap Cruise Holidays’ and a 39% year-on-year decrease in searches for ‘All-Inclusive Cruise Holidays’.

It also revealed that there was a 42% year-on-year decrease in searches for ‘Cruise Holidays from Southampton’.

There has been a 55% increase in searches for solo cruises in January 2024, suggesting that brands looking to target the solo cruiser should do it in January.

#SoloCruise

Solo Cruise and Travel posts are popular across social media with the hashtag #SoloCruise on over 5,000 posts on Instagram and nearly 2.5k posts on TikTok.

The hashtag #SoloCruiser has over 1,000 posts on Instagram, while #SoloTravel has over 9.6M posts on Instagram and 905k posts on TikTok.

The interest in 2026 Cruises has seen a significant incline, suggesting that businesses should be investing in their organic strategy way in advance.

Additionally, it found that there has been a 31% increase in paid visitor traffic in the travel sector.

Banc partner, Mediahawk, carried out research around call attribution in the travel sector to look at YoY comparisons with 2023. Mediahawk’s rich call tracking data reveals what’s working in the travel sector, as well as what other marketers are prioritising. Notably, they found the following:

              +31%                                                              +129%
increase in paid visitor traffic                              increase in total phone calls

Here’s what Lawrence Cavill Grant, Head of Commercial at Mediahawk, had to say about this:

“Interestingly, the average number of visits to a website prior to making a call has increased by 20%. Visitor-to-call ratio (VCR) is a fantastic metric to measure intent as it measures how many visitors convert by picking up the phone. PPC delivers a 23% higher VCR compared to all channels, emphasising the importance of this channel for the travel sector”.

By effectively leveraging digital marketing, cruise lines can attract new customers, enhance the booking experience, and position themselves as industry leaders. Cruise Industry Trends