Cruise Industry News

What Cruise Industry News does

Cruise Industry News is a privately held, founder-owned B2B publishing and research firm serving the global cruise industry. Established in 1996 in New York (with the company's flagship Annual Report published since 1988 and Quarterly Magazine since 1991), the company produces trade publications, proprietary market research reports, fleet indices, and an executive directory used by cruise line executives, shipyards, port authorities, suppliers, and financial analysts. Its product portfolio spans the flagship 400-page Annual Report covering global cruise industry data and projections through 2039, a quarterly trade magazine, ten-plus specialized digital reports (Expedition, Luxury, Drydocking, China Market, European River Cruise, Secondhand Market), Excel-based fleet indices covering 600+ ocean ships and 500+ riverboats, and the Executive Guide covering 80+ cruise lines and 1,000+ executives.

The underlying technology is a web-based digital publishing platform with e-commerce storefront, PDF/email delivery, and an interactive online Cruise Ship Orderbook tool. The proprietary data asset is the firm's independent cruise industry research database with historical lineage back to 1988, which is monetized across multiple SKUs and formats. Distribution is global with offices in New York and Charlotte, NC; reach includes 25,000+ daily unique website visitors, 40,000+ magazine readers, and trade-show presence at Seatrade, SMM Hamburg, ICS Madrid, and China Cruise Shipping.

The business model is a hybrid of recurring subscriptions (Quarterly Magazine at $75-$110/year), high-ticket one-time research products (Annual Report from $1,195; digital reports $199-$599), and advertising sales across print, web, and email channels. A bundled Full Product Package priced at $5,499 (45% off $8,061 list) is sold as the firm's anchor offer. Free Daily News and Breaking News email newsletters serve as top-of-funnel lead generation, feeding paid product and advertising revenue. The firm is privately owned by the Mathisen family with no disclosed institutional capital, operates with 11-50 employees (12 named on staff), and has been self-sustaining since founding.

Name

Cruise Industry News

Legal name

Cruise Industry News

Website

https://cruiseindustrynews.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cruise Industry News is a privately held, founder-owned B2B publishing and research firm producing trade magazines, proprietary cruise industry reports, fleet indices, and an executive directory for cruise lines, shipyards, ports, suppliers, and financial analysts worldwide since 1988.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Subscription Products: Quarterly magazine subscriptions and annual report sales provide recurring subscription revenue. Quarterly Magazine at $75/year (US) or $110 (international); Annual Report starting at $1,195; Digital reports ranging from $349-$599.
2. Advertising Revenue: Print and digital advertising sales targeting cruise industry decision-makers. Advertising packages include magazine ads, website banner ads, and email newsletter placements reaching 40,000+ readers and 25,000+ daily website visitors.
3. Digital Reports and Data Products: Single-purchase PDF reports covering niche market segments (expedition, luxury, drydock, China market, river cruise, secondhand ship market). Revenue from one-time downloads ranging from $349-$599 per report.
4. Executive Guide: Directory product containing contact information for 80+ cruise lines and 1,000+ executives including names, titles, addresses, phone, fax, and email. Sold as $199 PDF download.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Cruise Industry News is a B2B media and research publisher serving the global cruise industry. Its flagship offerings are the Quarterly Magazine (published since 1991) and the Annual Report (published since 1988), supplemented by specialized digital market reports (Expedition, Luxury, Drydocking, China, European River Cruise, Secondhand Market), fleet data products (Global Cruise Ship Index, River Ship Index, Orderbook), the Executive Guide directory, and a free breaking-news website and email newsletters.

Product overview

Cruise Industry News operates a multi-platform B2B media and research business serving the global cruise industry. The core offering consists of the Cruise Industry News Quarterly Magazine (published since 1991) and the Annual Report (published since 1988), which together provide comprehensive coverage of the cruise industry. The company distributes breaking cruise news via its website CruiseIndustryNews.com and email newsletters. The digital reports portfolio includes specialized market reports (Expedition Report, Luxury Market Report, China Market Report, European River Cruise Market Report), fleet data products (Global Cruise Ship Index, European River Ship Index), operational reports (Drydocking and Refurbishment Report, Secondhand Market Report), and the Executive Guide. The product portfolio also includes historical data archives. All products are designed for cruise line executives, port operators, suppliers, financial analysts, and other industry stakeholders requiring market intelligence and forecasting data.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cruise Industry News Annual Report A 400+ page flagship annual industry report covering the entire worldwide cruise industry with past, present, and future data, analytics, growth forecasts through 2039, ship deployment by region, and market reports for all cruise lines.
• Cruise Industry News Quarterly Magazine The leading cruise industry trade magazine published four times per year covering new ships, shipbuilding, naval architecture, design, repairs, refurbishments, marine and hotel operations, compliance, technology, food and beverage, human resources, safety, ports, and destinations.
• CruiseIndustryNews.com Website The most visited cruise news website in the industry, featuring daily updates, exclusive photos, and original content covering cruise industry news, available free to industry professionals.
• Cruise Industry News Email Newsletters Two free email newsletter options: Daily News Emails (concise format, 5 days per week) and Breaking News Alerts (major headlines only), serving as lead generation and audience retention tools.
• 2026 Expedition Report A 280+ page definitive resource on the global expedition cruise industry combining exclusive interviews, expert analysis, and proprietary data covering market trends, operator profiles, and capacity forecasts through 2033.
• 2026 Luxury Market Report A detailed 221-page overview of the luxury cruise ship market covering approximately 30 new ships set to enter the cruise market, with market trends, operator profiles, and capacity forecasts.
• 2026 Drydocking and Refurbishment Report A comprehensive 140-page overview of the expanding annual cruise refit business with over 2,000 drydock days projected for 2026 and over $4 billion spent on upgrades, including drydock schedules through 2028.
• 2027 Global Cruise Ship Index An Excel file with key statistics on 600+ ships covering guest and crew capacity, tonnage, dimensions, and green features. Includes the current global cruise fleet, limbo status ships, and forward-looking orderbook.
• 2026 China Market Report An 80-page report showing the past, present, and future of the Chinese cruise business with the latest supply metrics and market analysis.
• 2026 European River Cruise Market Report Inside the river cruise business in Europe for 2026 with capacity metrics by company and river-by-river supply data, plus market insight and editorial coverage.
• 2026 European River Ship Index Excel file with key statistics on 500+ riverboats including guest and crew capacity, length, width, and more.
• 2025 Cruise Ship Secondhand Market Report Comprehensive year-by-year breakdown of known vessel sales, charters, and transactions providing insight into key industry trends. Includes detailed data on ship retirements and withdrawals from 1983 through 2025.
• Cruise Ship Orderbook Data (1988-2036) Comprehensive overview of ship ordering trends and future growth plans of cruise operators covering over 45 years from 1988 to 2036, provided as a PDF document with cruise line, ship name, cost, tonnage, capacity, shipyard, sailing region, and delivery date details.
• 2026 Cruise Industry Executive Guide Reference directory including 80+ cruise lines and 1,000+ executives with names, titles, addresses, phone, fax, email addresses, and ship information.
• Historical Data Archive Historical archive collection dating back to 1985 including archived newsletters (1985-2011), Annual Reports (1988-2013), and Quarterly Magazines (1991-present) available as searchable PDFs.
• Cruise Ship Orderbook Interactive online tool listing all confirmed cruise ship newbuild orders with details on cruise line, ship name, cost, tonnage, capacity, shipyard, sailing region, and delivery date, spanning 2026-2039.

Quantifiable outcome

• 40,000+ industry professional readers across print and digital formats
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Skift: B2B travel industry media company covering hotels, airlines, and online travel with research reports and events. Comparable B2B travel media + research subscriptions model, though broader than cruise-specific.
• Phocuswright (Northstar Travel Group): Travel industry research and media company producing subscription research reports and conferences. Comparable B2B travel research subscriptions model, with cruise as one of many verticals covered.
• The Maritime Executive: B2B maritime industry news publisher covering shipping, offshore, and naval topics with cruise as a vertical. Comparable B2B publishing model and advertiser-supported revenue stream in the broader maritime space.
• Travel Weekly (Northstar Travel Group): Long-running B2B travel trade publication with print magazine, digital news, and research. Comparable B2B travel trade publishing model with subscription and advertising revenue streams.
• Lloyd's List (Lloyd's Register / Maritime Intelligence): Premium B2B maritime intelligence subscription product covering shipping, with a similar subscription research and data product model. Comparable niche-vertical intelligence product positioning, though focused on commercial shipping.
• TradeWinds (DNV): B2B shipping and maritime intelligence publication with subscription research and data products. Comparable niche-vertical B2B publishing model with subscription and intelligence product revenue streams.

Emerging players

• Cruise Critic: Major cruise-focused media brand owned by Tripadvisor. While primarily consumer-facing reviews, it competes for cruise industry mindshare and advertiser dollars, partially overlapping CIN's content and audience.

Direct peers

• Seatrade Cruise (Informa Markets): Direct B2B competitor serving the cruise industry through trade shows (Seatrade Cruise Global), media, and conferences. Operates the most visible cruise industry events, directly overlapping CIN's advertising and editorial reach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CruiseIndustry
• Facebookfacebook.com/CruiseIndustryNews
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cruise-industry-news

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cruise Industry News