Cruising is having its best run ever. AAA projects that 22.4 million Americans will take an ocean cruise in 2027, up 3.6% over 2026 and the fifth record year in a row. In 2019, before the pandemic, the number was 14.2 million. That is an increase of nearly 58% in eight years.
A ship is only part of a cruise vacation, though. Every time it docks, thousands of passengers step ashore and want to see the place. That is where Tour Guides and Tour Directors come in.
What the forecast shows
- Passengers like what they get. More than 90% of U.S. cruise passengers rate their experience as “good” or “very good”, and 93% cruise again.
- Shorter cruises are growing. Seven nights is still the most popular length, but in 2025, 45% of U.S. ocean cruise passengers chose six nights or less, up from 39% in 2019.
- The Caribbean leads by far. In 2027, 71% of American cruise passengers are headed to the Caribbean, about 7% to Alaska, 6% to the Mediterranean and 16% to the rest of the world.
- Florida is the launch pad. Miami, Port Canaveral and Fort Lauderdale are the three busiest cruise ports in the world. Galveston and Seattle are also busy U.S. homeports, and Barcelona and Southampton rank among the top ports overseas.
AAA prepared the forecast with Tourism Economics, using scheduled itineraries for virtually all major cruise ships along with economic and travel-sector projections.
Every port day is a tour day
When passengers go ashore on a shore excursion, someone stands at the front of the group: a city tour in San Juan, a historic walk in Rome, a glacier day in Alaska. That person is usually a local Tour Guide, the expert who knows the port city, brings it to life for visitors, and sleeps in their own bed, in their own home, almost every evening. More passengers and more sailings mean more groups coming ashore in every port.
Where Tour Directors fit in the equation
Many cruise vacations do not start or end at the pier. Alaska cruises are often paired with land tours through the interior, and voyages from Barcelona, Rome and Southampton are often combined with land tours before or after the sailing. Those land portions are group tours, and a Tour Director travels with the group from start to finish: welcoming guests, giving commentary on the motorcoach, managing hotels, meals and timing, and solving problems along the way.
What this means for you
A record year for cruising is a record year for travelers who need someone to lead them on land. If you want to work close to home, a Tour Guide certification fits port cities and the places cruise passengers visit. If you want to travel with groups, Tour Director training prepares you for the land tours that surround so many cruises.
The International Guide Academy (IGA) has been Training and Certifying Tour Directors and Tour Guides since 1973.
- Tour Guide certification is self-paced and online and includes personal interactions with an IGA Instructor.
- Tour Director certification is a nine-day class taught in person, each with a real motorcoach trip so students practice while on a moving vehicle and with a real audience in the seats on the motorcoach.
The next Tour Director class runs December 5 – 13, 2026, in person in Denver. Not sure which path fits? Schedule a call with IGA President Daniel Slater, or call him directly at 303.434.7557.
Sources: AAA, “Anchors aweigh! Cruising Charts a Record-Breaking Course for 2027,” October 22, 2026; Dori Saltzman, Travel Market Report, October 20, 2026.