The current economic slump has affected all faucets of the economy, but tourism has been particularly hard hit.  As airlines and rental agencies feel the pain, cruise lines should not be left out.

New industry data shows that cruise lines posted weaker passenger numbers amid falling demand in the US market.  While worldwide numbers continued to climb, U.S. numbers continue to be down.  In 2004 the U.S. market counted for as much as 77 percent of all cruises.  By 2008 this number had dropped to 69 percent, while Europe’s numbers had increased.

Norwegian Cruise lines recently shifted its lineup, moving some of its ships to Europe’s burgeoning market.  While the U.S. sector is down, worldwide traffic has been growing.  The previous year saw 13.05 million people take cruises worldwide, up 4 percent from the year before. Despite lower numbers, total spending in the U.S. rose by 2 percent, the smallest number in the reports history.

Bob Sharak, executive vice president said, “In 2008, considering all that’s going on, we’re reporting a 2 percent increase. There’s a lot of businesses out there that would love to be reporting any increase.” He also added, “the biggest point to take away is when other people are suffering greatly, we’re able to show an increase.”

Thanks to www.ap.com for above quotes, visit their site for more information.