Strasbourg, 14/03/2012 (Agence Europe) - The cruise industry is in good health despite the crisis, and this is benefitting the whole European economy. Drawing the lessons of the shipwreck of the Costa Concordia, the industry is confident it will continue to see steady growth. At the Cruise Shipping Miami Tradeshow and Conference, the European Cruise Council (ECC) revealed very encouraging figures for 2011 in Europe, in spite of the turbulent economic waters through which the EU was passing. The numbers of Europeans choosing a cruise holiday exceeded six million for the first time, an increase of 9% on 2010. The UK, Germany and France lead the market followed by Italy and Spain, which each had just under one million passengers. The ECC calculates that each of these passengers spends an average of €100 when visiting a port - with some 25 million passenger port visits in Europe each year this represents €2.5 billion in spending in Europe. “Cruising is helping Europe maintain its position as the world's number 1 tourism destination and is helping Europe's economy to recover. It provides work for European shipyards and marine equipment producers, employment in ports, coastal communities and the wider regions”, said Manfredi Lefebvre d'Ovidio, Chairman of the ECC and Silversea Cruises. Of all the world's cruise ships, 99% are built by European shipyards, which in turn buy 99% of their supplies from European manufacturers, the ECC states. There is no doubt that the shipwreck of the Costa Concordia which ran aground off the Italian coast will affect 2012 figures but the industry remains confident for the future. “We face the future with optimism, fortified by history's lessons”, the ECC chairman said, adding: “Despite the current challenging environment, there are good reasons to believe that we will come through this period of uncertainty in a strong position.” (MD/transl.rt)