{"id":389927,"date":"2026-04-09T14:01:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T14:01:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/389927\/"},"modified":"2026-04-09T14:01:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T14:01:10","slug":"cruise-bookings-surge-in-ireland-by-over-50-between-2022-and-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/389927\/","title":{"rendered":"Cruise Bookings Surge in Ireland by Over 50% Between 2022 and 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The Irish cruise market is experiencing strong growth, according to a new survey, which shows the number of Irish holidaymakers taking cruise holidays has risen from 43,000 in 2022 and is expected to reach 65,000 by 2026.<\/p>\n

Click&Go Holidays \u2013 which carried out the survey \u2013 has reported significant growth in cruise bookings for 2026, highlighting the continued rise in popularity of cruise holidays among Irish\u00a0travellers.<\/p>\n

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According to the latest booking data (March 2026), bookings for cruise holidays with Click&Go Holidays have grown by 20% year-on-year, reflecting strong consumer demand for value, convenience, and all-in-one travel experiences.<\/p>\n

Commenting on the trend, Paul Hackett, CEO of Click&Go Holidays, said: \u201cCruise holidays continue to go from strength to strength. We\u2019re seeing a clear shift in how Irish consumers are choosing to holiday, with more people\u00a0recognising\u00a0the exceptional value, variety and ease that cruising offers. The fact that cruise prices have remained stable year-on-year, despite strong demand, is further encouraging more customers to book.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr Hackett added: \u201cThe growth we\u2019re seeing is not just within Click&Go Holidays, but across the entire Irish market. Cruises have firmly established themselves as a mainstream holiday choice, and we expect this upward trend to continue as more Irish\u00a0travellers\u00a0discover what cruising has to offer.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Survey findings:<\/p>\n

Couples Lead the Way, While Family Demand Surges<\/p>\n

Cruise holidays remain particularly popular with couples, who account for 71% of all bookings. However, family cruises are showing notable growth, now representing 29% of bookings, with bookings increasing by 30% year-on-year.<\/p>\n

Paul Hackett added: \u201cIt\u2019s particularly encouraging to see such strong growth in family bookings. Cruises offer a fantastic hassle-free holiday option for families, with entertainment for all ages, dining and activities all included, making them both convenient and cost-effective.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stable Pricing Driving Continued Demand<\/p>\n

Despite increased demand, the average cost of a fly-cruise holiday remains steady at \u20ac1,475 per person, unchanged year-on-year. This price stability is a key factor behind the continued growth in bookings. This price includes return flights, transfers to and from the ship, 7 night cruise, all meals and snacks onboard and gratuities.<\/p>\n

\u201cValue for money remains a key driver for Irish holidaymakers,\u201d said Mr Hackett. \u201cCruises deliver an all-inclusive style experience that is difficult to match, and customers are responding positively to that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mediterranean Cruises Dominate for 2026<\/p>\n

The Mediterranean continues to be the most popular cruise destination, accounting for 70% of all bookings from Ireland for 2026 travel.<\/p>\n

Other destinations include Caribbean at 15%, Norwegian Fjords at 8%, Alaska at 5% and Asia at 2% popularity in bookings.<\/p>\n

Peak travel months for 2026 are May, June, July, September and April, reflecting strong demand across both summer and shoulder seasons.<\/p>\n

Repeat Cruise Customers on the Rise<\/p>\n

Click&Go Holidays is also seeing increased loyalty among cruise customers, with repeat booking rates rising significantly.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Irish cruise market is experiencing strong growth, according to a new survey, which shows the number of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":389928,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[61,60,43],"class_list":{"0":"post-389927","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ireland","8":"tag-ie","9":"tag-ireland","10":"tag-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/389927","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=389927"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/389927\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/389928"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=389927"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=389927"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=389927"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}