CRUISE industry heavyweights called on the industry to address the myths the sector faces at a panel at Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) Australasia’s Cruise360 conference on Fri. Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings SVP and MD Asia Pacific Steve Odell reminded attendees there were “lots of initiatives around the world to...
CRUISE industry heavyweights called on the industry to address the myths the sector faces at a panel at Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) Australasia’s Cruise360 conference on Fri.
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings SVP and MD Asia Pacific Steve Odell reminded attendees there were “lots of initiatives around the world to really address the question of over-tourism and sustainability”, urging them to “tell all the positive stories that there are to tell about this fantastic business.
“Unfortunately things get a bit marginalised because there are some loud voices in the room,” Odell explained.
“We always hear about Amsterdam, we always hear about Venice…we have to be ambassadors for this business and we have to tell our story positively because there are thousands of other places in the world that want us,” he said.
Carnival Australia President Sture Myrmell weighed in on the issue of over-tourism, highlighting that cruising is a small part of tourism as a whole.
“I think we as an industry need to collaborate with the communities that we visit, and we need to do a better job of managing tourists,” he said.
Pictured: Steve Odell SVP NCLH; Susan Bonner, VP & MD Australia Royal Caribbean Cruises; Sture Myrmell, President Carnival Australia; and Sarina Bratton, Chairman Asia Pacific Ponant.
