The French Riviera Expects a Strong Year
It’s is going to be a prosperous year for the French Riviera. The 2018 CLIA passenger capacity snapshot shows 28 million passengers expected to cruise, making this a strong year for the Cruise Industry in general. Both the Mediterranean and French Riviera are benefiting from the industry growth. The cruise traffic in the French Riviera is split mainly between Cannes, Antibes, Villefranche, and Nice, with a total of 348 cruise ship calls expected in 2018.
The Mediterranean had 15.8% of the cruise industry deployment in 2017 and 2018 is also looking strong. Cruise Industry News quotes Caroline Valadie from the French Riviera Cruise Club as saying that they are expecting another successful year in 2018. One such example is Cannes, which expects over 300,000 guests for 2018. Cannes is the most popular cruise port in the French Riviera. It’s perfectly located near the ports of Nice, Monaco and Saint-Tropez. As a popular cruise destination, all the ports in the French Riviera will reap the benefits of the cruise industry growth.
Cruise industry growth is projected in many market segments. It is believed that millennials will soon be taking to river cruising and that small ship cruising will continue to gain traction among all travelers. Even though the French Riviera has a reputation of glitz and glamour, it is part of an industry that appeals to all budgets. According to a recent survey, 33% of cruisers who have taken a cruise within the past three years, have a household income less than $80K.
With the diversity of passengers, the French Riviera is continuously working on new and interesting shore programs. Valadie, from the French Riviera Cruise Club noted; “One of our challenges is to continually develop new excursions.” One initiative is the “Green Tours”, which are now offered in each of the French Riviera ports. These tours allow passengers to discover the region in an environmentally-friendly manner. As the demographics of cruise passengers is everchanging, the industry and its shore excursion programs must continuously adapt to meet the needs and desires of these guests. To assist delivering the best possible experience, the French Riviera Cruise Club recently launched a free app for cruise passengers; once downloaded, the app is available offline and offers information, maps, special offers and tailor-made tours as well as GPS capabilities.
The French Riviera is taking active steps to ensure their future success within the cruise industry. It is stated through multiple cruise sources that there are over 3000 plus ports vying for cruise ships calls today. The competition is tough, but with 27 new ocean, river and specialty vessels scheduled for delivery in 2018, the French Riviera ports are sure to add new port calls. Each of these ports is diverse and ready to show off their beautiful landscapes, history, and culture. The future looks bright for the French Riviera.
Access Cruise is a Miami based cruise marketing and sales consulting group, specializing in product and business development within the cruise industry.