Reaching down under for an update, The Age of Australia reports on plummeting demand in the number of Australians booking Alaska cruises.  The numbers aren’t pretty!

According to their reporting, only 10,000 Australians may cruise the Inside Passage in 2009, a startling decrease of 50% from 2007.

Cruise Express, an Australia travel agency specializing in Alaska cruises, states that while it took more than 60 customers to Alaska in 2008, it has canceled its 2009 trip due to lack of interest.

What’s causing this huge crash in demand?

In addition to the economic problems the whole world is experiencing, the Australian dollar has also been heavily hit, which means tours for Australians priced in US dollars are much more expensive.  Another likely cause is that the older guests that more typically book an Alaskan cruise have been more heavily affected by the stock market’s impact on their retirement savings.

It’s not good news for the Alaska cruise lines, who are already struggling to fill their ships for the summer season.

Source: The Age

No related posts.

Tagged with: •

Filed under: Alaska Cruise Tours

Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!