Where the world wants to cruise: Fascinating map reveals that the Caribbean is the globe's No.1 destination for a trip on a ship (but NOT for Americans... )

A fascinating reworked world map reveals the most popular destination for a cruise for every country - and it's the Caribbean that's the globe's favourite place for a trip on a ship.

The map is colour-coded to indicate each country’s favourite voyage and country names have been supplemented with the names of the place their residents most want to cruise to. The results were generated by an analysis of the cruise routes people were searching for the most on Google between March 2023 and April 2024, using a master list of 100 popular cruise destinations.

The Caribbean is the most popular cruise destination thanks to 2.8million searches overall. It tops the wish lists of 44 different countries around the globe, including the UK, Mexico, Jamaica and Sweden.

The Mediterranean is the second most sought-after destination, with 2.1million searches in the past 12 months. Spain, France, and Croatia are among the countries searching for this destination the most. 

An Alaskan cruise comes third, with 1.8million searches, and is the top cruise choice for the residents of America and Canada. 

The above map shows countries colour-coded to indicate their residents' favourite cruise destination, with the results generated by an analysis of the cruise routes people are searching for the most on Google

The Caribbean is the most popular cruise destination of the year, with 2.8million searches overall. It tops the wish lists of 44 countries around the globe, including the UK, Mexico, Jamaica and Sweden 

A cruise along the River Nile places fourth (one million searches), with Germany, Italy and the Czech Republic among the countries wanting to discover Egypt's ancient temples and tombs with a ship as their HQ. 

The fifth-most-searched cruise destination, according to the study, conducted by cruise travel Insurance specialists AllClear, is Antarctica. The frigid spot has 969,670 searches overall, coming top in Australia, Brazil and New Zealand. 

In sixth place is a Seine River Cruise (695,040 searches), top for people in Ireland, Vietnam and India.

The Caribbean dominates South America, while an Alaskan cruise ranks top in Canada and the U.S

In both Australia and New Zealand, the most popular cruise route is Antarctica. While China opts for the Mediterranean and India, a Seine river cruise

Sailing across the Norwegian fjords comes seventh with 674,230 searches, and a Danube River Cruise - top in Romania and Slovakia - ranks eighth with 548,840 searches. 

The rest of the top ten comprises a Mississippi River Cruise (462,580 searches) and a Hawaiian Cruise (454,670 searches). 

However, not all countries can decide on their dream destination. Such is the case for the Japanese. For them,  'around the world' cruises (11th, 424,920 searches) pique their attention the most. 

Letitia Smith, Head of Communications at AllClear, shares: 'It's fascinating to see the number of travellers eager to set sail on unforgettable journeys around the world's oceans, seas, and rivers. 

'From the beautiful islands of Greece to chilly Antarctica, it's been fantastic to see such a rise in interest in cruising holidays taking place all over the world in recent years.

'Cruising offers a unique alternative to your usual land-based trips away, with a completely different set of things for travellers to consider and be aware of. For example, always remember your cruise-specific travel insurance rather than general travel insurance, when buying a policy ahead of your sailing adventure.

'Unlike standard travel insurance, cruise travel insurance includes essential cover specific to your cruise holiday, including onboard medical emergencies, cruise interruptions and cancellations, cabin confinement and even missed port departure.'

To find out more about the research and the most popular cruise destination in each country, visit:  www.allcleartravel.co.uk/blog/where-the-world-wants-to-cruise/.