Japanese consumers have further embraced overseas cruises in a big way with the number in 2012 surging to 120,000 travelers, the highest tally not seen since 2000 when it reached 130,500, thanks to the 60.36 percent rise in cruise passengers heading to Asia.
Combined with the 96,400 Japanese passengers on domestic cruises, the total cruise population in 2012 reached 216,700, the second-highest count after the record of 225,000 in 1995.
The high figure last year paves the way for this year, with the inauguration of cruises by luxury liner Princess Cruises’ 77-ton Sun Princess, which in May began its Japan Home Port program. It will visit 19 Japanese ports in Japan during the year, with itineraries that include ports in South Korea, Taiwan and Russia. In 2014, the liner will bring the 116-ton Diamond Princess — built in 2004 by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Nagasaki — as its second ship in the Japanese market.
The cruise industry has been on a voyage toward recovery since the Lehman Brothers collapse in 2008, affecting demand for both air and cruise outbound travel.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLITT) said that Asia rose in share from 26.57% to 36.75% in 2012, the highest ever, boasting 44,100 Japanese cruise passengers. Enthusiasts on cruises to Oceania-Micronesia generated a 44.23% jump to 7,500, generating a 6.3% market share, also the highest since 2007 when the count rose to 10,900.
While the number of those heading to Northern Europe, including the Baltic Sea reached 27,100, off 9.66% from a year ago, those cruising to other European ports climbed some 175%, giving Europe-Baltic Sea a 22.58% market share.
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