Christine Duffy, president and CEO, Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) delivered remarks at the annual ITB conference in Berlin, Germany.
In her speech, Duffy outlined the growth the cruise industry has witnessed both in Europe and globally and detailed the positive economic impact of the cruise industry in Europe.
In 2013, CLIA member lines welcomed 21.3 million guests worldwide and that's expected to grow to 21.7 million guests in 2014.
A recent study shows cruising contributes over $100 billion to the global economy, supports more than 775,000 jobs and pays $32.5 billion in wages.
“The cruise industry has a long and proud history in Europe – dating back to 1844 when the Peninsular & Oriental line launched the first ‘sea tours,’ bringing passengers to destinations such as Gibraltar, Malta, and Athens,” Duffy said.
“In 2012, 5.7 million passengers embarked on a cruise from Europe – making Europe the second largest market for cruise passengers worldwide," she stressed. "CLIA Europe and our National Chapters throughout Europe are proud to represent the industry and support our members by working with various stakeholders to continue the growth of cruising in this very important market.”
Duffy also highlighted the significant role the German cruise industry plays in the European market and also spoke to the cruise industry’s sustainability efforts in Europe and globally, and its work to promote and maintain a healthy planet.
“No industry has a bigger stake in maintaining a pristine environment – both in the waters we sail and the ports we visit,” Duffy explained. “We will continue to forge new paths toward a greener, more sustainable planet.”
She also pointed out that cruise lines are already testing and installing catalytic converters and scrubbers, which will greatly reduce emissions. This, Duffy noted, “will make cruising more environmentally conscious than ever before.”
Summing up the robust growth outlook for the cruise industry globally, Duffy concluded, “Our future is defined by new opportunities for growth, new ships that will broaden cruising’s appeal to even more passengers, and exciting new itineraries that will open up more ports and destinations.”
Duffy’s remarks at ITB Berlin represented her second major international speech in the past month. She also delivered the keynote address at CLIA Australasia’s inaugural cruise3sixty conference in Sydney, Australia in February.
She is also slated to speak at the Cruise Shipping Miami conference next week in Miami Beach. For more information on CLIA visit www.cruising.org.