ICE - Agency for the promotion abroad and internationalization of Italian companies participates in the 29th edition of the Seatrade Cruise Shipping 2013 of Miami, the main trade fair dedicated to the cruise sector which kicked off last Monday. The objective of ICE's participation in the event, through an Italian collective of 49 companies in the sector including numerous Port Authorities, companies and entities providing logistics and tourist services and producers of technical goods and services, is to strengthen the commercial presence of our companies in USA.
Over the years, cruises have represented a segment of fundamental importance for tourism and have generated an important turnover, both directly and indirectly. The dynamism and development of the market is demonstrated by the growing expansion of the offer, expressed by the number of ships available to the companies. There are currently 284 cruise ships operating on the world market with a capacity of 19,3 million passengers and an average utilization rate of 91%. Total worldwide package tour sales revenue for the year 2012 was estimated at approximately US$30,9 billion.
The USA is a major market for the cruise industry with a total of 149 ships available, with estimates updated to 2012 of over 12,2 million passengers. American citizens represent the largest percentage of the population who spend the most on this type of vacation, not only in the USA but also in Europe. It is a extremely promising market segment for Italian companies, if we consider the fact that the total US turnover generated in 2012 was approximately 19,5 billion dollars.
