A cruise expert has called on cruise operators to expand their offerings by branching out to new ports and investing in smaller ships.
Reacting to predictions by review site CruiseCritic.co.uk of a big year for the industry in 2010, Robin Maclear, managing director of The Cruise Line said that the sector needs to address perceptions over size.
"From the point of the view of the consumer, there is a perception that cruising is all about mega ships and it's not," he explained.
He went on to say that there is a ship to suit every taste, adding that "it doesn't have to be five-star, it could be two or three-star, it could be a small ship doing 'soft adventure' cruising visiting the Arctic with 100-120 people".
Mr Maclear said that some vessels also need to go to places where other ships may not be able to go to and this can only be achieved by smaller ships with greater access.
Some 1.5 million passengers took a cruise holiday in 2008, according to the Passenger Shipping Association.
Written by Chris Smith.