AGENTS will be key to the cruise industry’s recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic, Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) MD Australasia Joel Katz (pictured) believes. Communicating with travel agent members in Australia yesterday seeking their support to reinforce cruising’s significance, Katz said the industry faced a lack of understanding about its...
AGENTS will be key to the cruise industry’s recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic, Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) MD Australasia Joel Katz (pictured) believes.
Communicating with travel agent members in Australia yesterday seeking their support to reinforce cruising’s significance, Katz said the industry faced a lack of understanding about its size and economic significance to Australia, even after decades of local growth.
“We’d like your help in speaking out about how deeply rooted cruising is in our part of the world, and how vital it is to our tourism industry and the wider economy,” Katz said.
“Although we are in a challenging news environment, our wider CLIA community is well placed to tell a more positive story.
“Cruising helps sustain jobs across a range of sectors – travel agencies, tour operators, guides, transport workers, hoteliers, maritime workers, technical suppliers and the many local food and wine providers who stock our ships.
“We need to show how extensive our community is, we can’t be demonised, we need recognition for what we’ve achieved – we’re an industry that has put people first, and we continue to work in support of our people – guests, crew and communities.
“We’re a resilient industry with an enormous number of supporters, and by uniting our community we can be confident we’ll overcome these challenges in the long term.”
CLIA is encouraging travel agents to write to their state and federal Members of Parliament, create social media posts, reach out to clients and colleagues, and create videos to share online, utilising the hashtag #WeAreCruise.
The number of Australians taking a cruise reached a record 1.35 million in 2018, with the industry contributing more than $6 billion in the last financial year.
