The cruise market in France

With the great opening up of the planet and the Great Discoveries, transatlantic voyagesand therefore cruises have developed considerably over the centuries.

In the 19ᵉ century, this mode of travel was reserved for a wealthy elite; it gradually opened up to a wider public in the 20ᵉ century, becoming part of mass tourism, which gave rise to new issues.

One of the first organized cruise initiatives is attributed to Thomas Cook, who in 1869 marketed a trip down the Nile. Nevertheless, as early as 1818, companies such as the Black Ball Line were running regular services between New York and Liverpool, marking the beginning of regular passenger sea travel.

Messageries Maritimes, a French company, inaugurated its first Mediterranean cruises in 1896 with Senegal. During this period, voyages were often organized in collaboration with cultural entities such as Hachette and Revue des Sciences.

In 1960, entrepreneurs like Ted Arison and Knut Kloster revolutionized the industry, launchingshort cruisesfrom Florida to the Caribbean. Prices became increasingly affordable, reaching an even wider clientele.

Today, cruises will welcome nearly 31.7 million passengers by 2023. France is one of Europe's leading countries in this industry, both in terms of passenger numbers and cruise ship construction, as in Saint-Nazaire with Chantiers de l'Atlantique.

However, the development of the cruise industry has led to an increase in environmental and safety risks. Welcoming several thousand passengers, these ships pose numerous problems in terms of pollution, collisions, fires and even terrorist threats, such as the 1985 hostage-taking on the Achille Lauro or the sinking of the Costa Concordia in 2012.

The environmental consequences of cruises are at the heart of the debate: for example, cruises in Europe have seen a17% increase inCO2 emissions in 2022 compared to 2019, partly due to a 26% increase in the number of ships. As a result, 60% of ships to be delivered between 2023 and 2028 will be powered by LNG. In addition, 45% of ships will be equipped with electrical connections. In addition, exhaust gas filtration systems, which are supposed to improve air quality, contaminate the oceans with water loaded with heavy metals and other pollutants.

Passenger safety on large liners remains another challenge. Since the sinking of the Titanic, maritime safety regulations have been tightened, but the risks remain high with ships carrying up to 9,000 passengers.

Despite these challenges, thecruise industry continues to grow, with worldwide capacity forecast to increase by almost 20% by 2028. Shipping lines are investing in technologies to reduce the ecological footprint of their ships and improve safety on board.