According to the Iranian Students' Tourism & Travelling Agency(istta): A decade ago, only 12 million people cruised across the globe. However, the amount has grown to an amazing 21.3 million passengers which is a 77% increase. The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) released new data showing the tremendous increase. The expenditures alone from the cruise industry were able to generate a total of $117 billion. The industry further employed over 891,009 employees on a full time basis with total wages amounting to $38.47 billion. According to the CLIA president and CEO Christine Duffy, the cruise industry brings passengers and crew members together as they explore exciting destinations and enjoy amazing itineraries while on holiday vacation. The popularity of the industry is understandable considering the many options passengers are presented with. The vacation experience gained is truly amazing. There is an upsurge in revenue, jobs and income in this industry in all parts of the world according to the CLIA study. Pierfrancesco Vago, Executive Chairman of the MSC cruises and Chairman of the CLIA Europe says 45% of the industry output in the last year alone came from Europe. The cruise industry has become a major contributor to the European economy creating jobs across the continent. The growth is expected to continue as more Europeans opt for cruising. The CLIA research from the Business Research and Economic Advisers including data from 2013 found out the following: -          Around 21.31 million passengers around the world embarked from ports -          North America had 11.82 million passengers which were 55% of the total cruiser, 10.92 million were U.S. residents -          30% of the passengers (6.4 million) came from Europe with UK and Germany leading with 1.73 million and 1.69 million respectively -          Australia (833,000 cruisers), Brazil (732,000 cruisers) and China (727,000 cruisers) also had a considerable number of passengers -          Cruises took approximately 7 days in water with calls at around 3 to 4 ports. -          An average of $126.93 was spent in the ports a day with over 115 million visit days at ports being generated by crews and passengers around the globe source:tourismreview.com