The cruise sector is expected to continue at full steam ahead with passengers numbers set to hit new heights this year and next.

Reservations are set to reach 30 million passengers in 2019, 6.4% higher than this year's projection, according to the Cruise Lines International Association's (CLIA) 2019 Cruise Travel Trends and State of the Cruise Industry Outlook Report.

“The coming year’s trends truly reflect the intersection between the experiences travelers seek and the cruise industry’s innovations,” chief executive Cindy D'Aoust said.

The industry sailed 27.6 million cruisegoers in 2017, up steadily from 17.8 million in 2009.

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US passengers account for the lion's share of bookings -- 11.9% -- followed by China at 2.4% and Germany at 2.19%.

More than a third -- 34.4% -- of deployments end up in the Caribbean, the report shows. The Mediterranean region accounts for 17.3% of all cruise destinations worldwide.

CLIA consists of more than 50 membership companies representing 95% of global cruise capacity.

Of that membership, 14 companies are expected to launch 18 ships in 2019.