A true “whole-of-government” approach is seemingly the missing piece from leading the Australian cruise sector into one of its most successful periods in history.
Australian Cruise Association (ACA) Chief Executive Officer Jill Abel, speaking to Cruise Weekly ahead of the organisation’s conference today, lauded the industry’s successes of late, and touched on how close the sector is to firing on all cylinders.
“I think the big push from an ACA perspective is to get that whole-of-government approach, making sure that all of the agencies are behind each other to create an environment for that growth to happen,” Abel said.
“Enthusiasm from the destinations is definitely there, the drive from the consumer is there, the product is there, we’ve just got to make it a bit more seamless,” she added.
Abel, speaking on the eve of the ACA’s largest-ever conference, said she believes the cruise industry is getting the message across, but that the job is certainly not done yet.
This year’s conference, taking place in Adelaide, will be about ensuring the cruise industry reaches its next phase of growth.
“We will be reporting a record economic report in a couple of weeks, which is great, but we also have to recognise that there is going to be a bit of a flattening for the next couple of years, and we need to work really hard to turn that flattening into that next phase of growth,” she added. MS
