Uptick in niche cruises from Taylor Swift to KISS themes helps keep industry afloat

Niche cruises are on the rise for fans of everything from Star Trek to Taylor Swift.

The Taylor Swift extravaganza is set to take up 199 rooms on an existing Royal Carribbean International (RCI) ship for five nights in the Bahamas, for example.

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6% more passengers are expected onboard cruises this year than in 2019 according to the Cruise Lines International Association. That number comes out to nearly 36 million passengers.

"We were very surprised with how many of our clients are going to be sailing for the first time," said Jessica Malerman, a travel adviser behind the Taylor Swift extravaganza, to the Economist.

Cruise lines are ramping up efforts to lure in passengers with these niche cruises, spanning television shows like the Golden Girls to 80s music like KISS. 

"That’s the music they loved when they were in high school," he says. "So that’s what they are going back to relive," said Chris Hearing of Entertainment Cruise Productions to the Economist.

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If the Taylor Swift extravaganza proves anything, it's that niche cruises can appeal to all ages. 

In an attempt to bring in the under-50 crowd, for example, 2000s music is featured. The Emo’s Not Dead Cruise's average age is 35, according to Gavin Simcoe who organized the event.

For religious crowds, cruises available include the Bountiful Travel for Mormons or the Kosherica for Jewish people.

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The Cruise Lines International Association did not respond to FOX Business' request for comment.