Cruise tourism surged to an unprecedented $4.27 billion in revenue for the Caribbean and Latin America over the past year, marking a 25% increase over the last pre-pandemic peak in 2018. A recent study by the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA), which assessed 33 destinations, revealed that the sector supports over 94,000 jobs, generating $1.27 billion in wages.
Cruise lines contributed $968.3 million in spending across the region, averaging $29.3 million per destination. Destinations hosted 29.4 million passenger visits, with an average spend of $104.36, resulting in a total of $3.07 billion in revenue. Additionally, 3.9 million visits from crew members generated an average of $58.78 each, adding $229.5 million to local economies.
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The total of 33.3 million passenger and crew visits marked a 13% increase from the previous study. Among the 31 destinations common to both the 2018 and 2024 studies, passenger visits grew by 17%, with per-passenger spending rising in 26 destinations. Fourteen destinations saw average spending exceed $100 per passenger, compared to twelve in 2018.
The Bahamas saw the highest gains, with over $650 million in revenue, followed by Cozumel, Mexico, at $483 million. The report, released at the 30th annual FCCA conference in St. Maarten, did not account for indirect economic impacts, such as local supplier purchases by tour operators, restaurants, and port authorities, which underlie employment and wage data.
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FCCA’s CEO Michele Paige expressed pride in the study’s results, emphasizing that cruise tourism’s economic benefits enhance livelihoods across the region. She added that these findings will guide future collaborations between cruise lines and destination stakeholders to foster ongoing mutual success.
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