CRUISE Lines International Association (CLIA) Australasia will welcome senior industry figures from across the globe at its upcoming Virtual Cruise Forum taking place later this month. The free event is being held in lieu of the Cruise360 Australasia Conference in Sydney, which has been postponed due to the city’s ongoing...
CRUISE Lines International Association (CLIA) Australasia will welcome senior industry figures from across the globe at its upcoming Virtual Cruise Forum taking place later this month.
The free event is being held in lieu of the Cruise360 Australasia Conference in Sydney, which has been postponed due to the city’s ongoing COVID-19 lockdown.
Taking place on 27 Aug, the CLIA Virtual Cruise Forum will “combine the global perspective of international leaders with the insight of key regional executives working on the local resumption of cruising,” according to CLIA Manging Director Australasia Joel Katz.
“At a critical time for our industry, this online forum will give travel agents valuable insight that will help ensure they benefit from cruising’s recovery,” he said.
The event will open with a session featuring CLIA Global CEO Kelly Craighead and local industry leaders Gavin Smith from Royal Caribbean International, Carnival Australia President Sture Myrmell and Ponant Chairman Asia Pacific Sarina Bratton, in a panel discussion moderated by Cruise Weekly publisher Bruce Piper.
Other international guests who will be part of the discussion include Regent Seven Seas Cruises Jason Montague, MSC Cruises CEO Gianni Onorato and Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection CEO Ellen Bettridge, along with Singapore Tourism Board Director of Cruise Development Annie Chang.
Topics on the day will include a State of the Industry update detailing the latest developments on cruising’s road to recovery, and how the sector is working to rebuild confidence.
Travel advisors will also be updated on how they can achieve new relevance as cruise specialists, while the forum will also give insights into how close collaborations have resulted in the successful resumption of operations in other markets.
Katz noted that with the industry keen to have certainty amidst the current cruise pause, “it has never been more important for our cruise community to unite around our common goals”.
“With the help of global industry leaders this forum will help define our path forward.”
The CLIA Australasia Virtual Cruise Forum will take place from 10am-4pm AEST on Fri 27 Aug, with the event open to all CLIA members at no charge.
For more details and to register see cruising.org.au.
