| ACA update 15 Mar 18: Seatrade wraps up

WITH Jill Abel, CEO, Australian Cruise Association – Seatrade Cruise Global is behind
us for another year and our record
16-member delegation has returned
on a wave of continued optimism
around cruising in our region.
We began our trip with a visit to
the Princess Cruises’ offices meeting
with a range of departments
to discuss further destination
development opportunities, shore
excursions and pre and post visits.
During Seatrade, we were excited
by the quality of the discussions
held with cruise line executives.
Numerous new builds are planned
for our region and some exciting
itineraries are being developed
with members to showcase more of
our country to the ever-increasing
number of international passengers
planning to visit Australia.
Supporting those visits is the
critically important question of
infrastructure development – a
topic addressed by a senior
panel including ACA Chair, Grant
Gilfillan; Debbie Summers (NZ
Cruise Association), Sture Myrmell
(Carnival Australia) and Harry
Sommer (NCL).
Grant spoke about the exciting
projects coming online in
Queensland – Brisbane and Cairns;
planning for Sydney Harbour and
developments in Broome.
Our “Down Under BBQ” held in
partnership with the New Zealand
Cruise Association was a highlight
on the Seatrade calendar attracting
more visitors than ever to the stand.
The trip to Seatrade is a huge
investment by ACA and our
members each year but we are
seeing continued recognition for
Australia as a major drawcard for
the cruise lines.
We have every reason to see the
future very brightly for our industry.