Cruise vacations are on the rise for Asean Muslim travellers, with the region being the key growth for Muslim cruise passengers, Mastercard and CrescentRating’s first ‘Muslim-Friendly Cruise Report 2024’ found.
In a joint statement, the two parties said the report revealed the number of Muslim cruise passengers grew by 8% between 2019 and 2023 in Asean markets namely Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.
“This suggests a a rising interest in cruise holidays among the region’s Muslim community,” it said today (Feb 16).
With travel continuing to rebound, it said that the global cruise market has been a major beneficiary, with passenger numbers in 2023 for the first-time exceeding pre-pandemic levels.
“Within this, the Muslim demographic has been one of the fastest-growing segments, with an estimated 1 million Muslim cruise passengers in 2023. This figure is projected to reach 2.8 million by 2027.”
Besides, Muslim passengers, the overall cruise passengers also grew 56% between 2019 and 2023 in abovementioned Asean markets, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia, it added.
Other findings of the report is that passengers prefer to book via digital platform with 48% of experienced cruise passengers booking directly through the cruise line’s website, while 14% used online travel agencies.
“Besides that, the report found that shorter cruise durations are gaining momentum, with 45% of passengers opting for shorter cruises lasting 1 to 3 nights,” it added.
The report surveyed over 560 respondents globally, with more than 68% based in Singapore, United States, United Kingdom, Indonesia, Malaysia and South Africa.
The report is the latest release from the decade-long partnership between Mastercard and CrescentRating, who have collaborated on 25 reports that explore various facets of Muslim travel, lifestyle and consumer behaviours.
The inaugural report takes a deep dive into this key segment, providing cruise operators and related travel and tourism sectors with the data and insights needed to understand and cater to the evolving needs of the Muslim travellers.
