Carnival Corporation will retain its leading market share going forward, with more than 40 percent of the global cruise market by 2026, but down from 44.3 percent this year, according to the 2016-2017 Cruise Industry News Annual Report. Meanwhile, MSC Cruises will double its market share.
The erosion of Carnival’s market share is due to the expansion of the industry with aggressive newbuilding programs by the other major cruise companies, and the entry of start-up Virgin Cruises.
Royal Caribbean, which has an estimated market share of 24.5 percent this year, will also erode slightly to 21.9 percent.
MSC Cruises, however, will jump from 6.8 percent this year to 12.9 percent by 2026, attributed to its aggressive newbuild program.
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, which has a 9.1 percent market share this year, will stay relatively flat at 8.7 percent.
Carnival’s biggest year will be 2019, when it may see a 10.5 percent capacity increase. For Royal Caribbean, the big year will be 2017 with a 7.5 percent increase. Norwegian could see a 14 percent increase in 2017, and MSC a whopping 19 percent increase in 2019.
MSC is so far the only cruise company with orders as far out as 2026.
The estimated increases are based on known ship orders and deployments.
About the Annual Report:
The Cruise Industry News Annual Report is the only book of its kind, presenting the worldwide cruise industry through 2025 in 350+ pages. Statistics are independently researched. Learn more by clicking here.
The report covers everything from new ships on order to supply-and-demand scenarios from 1987 through 2021+. Plus there is a future outlook, complete growth projections for each cruise line, regional market reports, and detailed ship deployment by region and market, covering all the cruise lines.
