The Passenger Shipping Association have reported a further increase in the number of Britons now opting for a holiday on the open sea. The 1.2 million UK cruise passengers in 2006 is an increase of around 12% on the 2005 figure of 1.08 million passengers. The overall growth of the UK cruise market has doubled in the last 10 years with passengers rating good food, itinerary the standards of accommodation and price as the main reasons for booking a cruise.

P&O Cruises recently smashed its previous sales record for a single day. The new record was set on the first day of selling tickets for the new cruise ship Ventura that is due to start sailing in May 2008. With 19,000 passenger bookings made on the opening booking day, this beats the previous best sales figure by over three times.

Weighing in at 115,000 tones, the Ventura will be the largest superliner ever built for the British market. Facilities on-board include six jacuzzis, five pools and 23 different places to eat or drink for the ships 3,600 passenger capacity.