Cruise tourism provides huge economic benefits in south-east Asia

 

Love them or loathe them, cruise ships provide major economic benefits for host ports.

In south-east Asia, for instance, the cruise industry generated US$10 billion in total output in 2024, travel news hub Travel Mole reports.

The findings come from from the inaugural Economic Impact Assessment of Cruise Tourism for Southeast Asian countries, produced by Tourism Economics for the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), in partnership with the Singapore Tourism Board (STB).

The study highlighted the region’s cruise industry economic contributions in 2024, reinforcing the strategic importance of south-east Asia in the global cruise landscape. It also underscored how the cruise industry brings substantial economic returns to destinations across the region.

“This study reinforces south-east Asia’s strong cruise tourism value proposition, driven by a growing middle class, rising demand for diverse travel experiences, and rich destination variety," said Jean Ng, assistant chief executive, Experience Development Group, Singapore Tourism Board. 

"As ASEAN’s lead co-ordinator for cruise developments, Singapore is committed to working with regional neighbours and global industry partners to unlock south-east Asia’s full potential for cruising and build a compelling destination network that attracts cruise lines while delivering sustainable economic benefits across the region.”

Bud Darr, president and CEO of CLIA, added: “We greatly value the collaboration with the Singapore Tourism Board on this project. 

"Their partnership enabled us to broaden the annual CLIA Economic Impact Studies and, for the first time, measure the economic contribution of cruise tourism across south-east Asia within our global analysis. 

"The results underscore the region’s growing role as a driver of jobs, economic activity, and a global cruise sector that brings unforgettable travel experiences to millions of guests worldwide.”
south-east Asia generates strong economic returns from cruise tourism

"South-east Asia’s cruise tourism recorded a strong performance in 2024, contributing US$4.5 billion to regional GDP and 5% of global cruise-related GDP. 

"This strong showing is reinforced by positive passenger sentiment, with 85% of cruise travellers rating their south-east Asian experience positively and nearly half (47%) expressing intent to return for land-based travel. This attests to the sector’s potential to drive broader tourism growth."

Market concentration data reveals Singapore and Malaysia collectively accounted for 70% of south-east Asian cruise passenger visits in 2024.