| CLIA update 08 Mar 18: Global Cruising Grows

WITH Joel Katz MD, CLIA Australasia –
I’m writing this week’s column
from the Seatrade Global Cruise
Conference in Fort Lauderdale
where on Tue Cindy D’Aoust, CLIA
global ceo reported that with more
than 25 newbuilds entering the
market in 2018, CLIA is forecasting
more than 27m cruise pax this year.
In the annual State of the Industry
panel that followed, Arnold Donald,
president of Carnival Corp, Frank
del Rio, chairman of NCLH, Richard
Fain, chairman of Royal Caribbean
Cruises Limited, and Pierfrancesco
Vago, chairman of MSC Cruises,
agreed that our industry is stronger
than ever, with strong demand and
high yields.
The panel explained that our
industry is good at expanding
multiple source markets globally,
and whilst the boomers are still
the largest group cruising, we are
also seeing significant growth of
millennials, “creating a double dose
of demand”.
Asked what keeps the leaders
up at night, they highlighted the
huge number of crew they need to
recruit, train and retain to support
the pipeline of new ships, the 24/7
nature of the industry, & geopolitical
events out of their control.
The panel were unanimously
bullish about the long-term growth
of our industry, attributable in
part to the industry’s success in
offering differentiated product,
and a strong focus on creating
personalised travel experiences for
our passengers.