Speaking at the Clia Cruise Forum, Tony Roberts, Princess Cruises’ vice-president UK and Europe, told delegates: “It looks like we are going to exceed the two million mark, so fingers crossed, but the numbers are positive.
“Originally we said we’d reach that amount by 2020 but it looks like we’re going to go through that number in 2018.”
The number of British and Irish holidaymakers taking ocean cruises increased only marginally in 2017, with figures released in March revealing a rise of 0.5% to 1,959,000 passengers taking to the seas - up from 1,950,000 in 2016.
That was compared to a 5.6% rise for 2016 and 8.8% for 2015.
Roberts, who succeeded Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd’s Stuart Leven in the role in June, said he believed the UK and Irish cruise sector had “absolute untapped potential”.
He cited a wealth of capacity being placed in the British Isles – including from the likes of MSC Cruises, Celebrity Cruises and his own line, Princess, which will all launch ships from Southampton over the next two years.
“2020 looks like a bumper year,” he said.
Roberts also outlined industry statistics claiming there are 10 million people in the UK who have the "financial ability and the desire" to take a cruise holiday in the next 3-5 years.
“We really are on the edge of what we can achieve,” he told delegates.
