THE UK cruise industry, with its main centre of operations in Southampton, saw record growth of 11 per cent in 2008, with almost 1.5 million people choosing a holiday on the high seas.

Southampton saw a significant boost in passenger numbers, as the statistics reveal a 23 per cent increase in people joining a ship in a UK port, while the total of fly-cruise passengers rose by four per cent.

Despite the recession, these figures are expected to rise even further in 2010 thanks to a number of new ship launches, including Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Eclipse, Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth and P&O Cruises’ Azura, all entering service in Southampton and dedicated to the UK market.

The Passenger Shipping Association (PSA), the industry’s trade body, revealed the figures at the Seatrade convention in Miami, USA.

William Gibbons, director of the PSA, said: “Last year proved to be another tremendous period for the UK cruise industry.

“The launch of P&O Cruises’ Ventura, Royal Caribbean International’s Independence of the Seas, together with the first full year of service for Cunard’s Queen Victoria, all based in Southampton, as well as Fred Olsen’s Balmoral and along with new ships from Carnival, Celebrity Cruises, Holland America and MSC, all contributed to a record number of passengers.

“The decision by a number of cruise lines, including MSC, Norwegian Cruise Line, Princess Cruises and Royal Caribbean, to increase the number of British port departures contributed to an additional 110,000 passengers choosing to begin their cruise in the UK in 2008.”

Traditional cruising destinations in the Mediterranean and Northern Europe, including the UK, proved to be the most popular, seeing increases of 17 per cent and 24 per cent respectively year on year.

The Mediterranean has a 43 per cent share of the market with 634,000 passengers and Northern Europe 18 per cent, with 265,000 passengers.

Mr Gibbons said: “The world of today is a very different one from that of 12 months ago.

“Although the cruise industry is not recession-proof it is better placed than many other travel sectors to weather the economic storm.

“However, with no new UK dedicated capacity planned for this year, we expect to see similar passenger numbers in 2009 as we did in 2008.

“Our research shows people are still looking to go on holiday, and the inclusive nature of a cruise means its future continues to look assured.”