| CDU shines at Cruise Shipping Miami

Cruise Down Under has
returned from the industry’s
premier international
conference with an optimistic
outlook for Australia’s
continued popularity.
A RECORD number of CDU members
participated at last week’s Cruise Shipping
Miami, expanding their presence with a larger
stand and meetings with the world’s leading
cruise lines.
Chris White, CDU chairman, told CW the
conference was “extremely busy and productive”
and hailed it a success for the 12 delegates.
“The cruise lines were very buoyant about
the coming season and took the opportunity
to fine-tune arrangements and to discuss
opportunities beyond 2012/13,” she said.
“They continue to be extremely optimistic
about Australia as a source market and a
destination, with a number of the speakers at
the conference discussing Australia’s
spectacular performance in recent years.”
White said she was confident that the local
market would again produce enviable figures
of growth.
“Although the ICCA is yet to report its 2011
results, it is likely that they will be positive,
given the increased capacity in the region in
2011 and the overall strong outbound travel
results for the past year,” she said.
CDU shared its new-look stand with Cruise
New Zealand, and Tourism Queensland and
Tourism New Caledonia South also exhibited
at the event.
Other CDU delegates included the
organisation’s general manager Jill Abel; Peter
Raines, Darwin Ports; Thor Elloitt, Fremantle
Ports; Tyler Wood and Mark Alfano, Bob
Wood Cruise Group; Anne McVilly, Tasmanian
Travel Centre; Irene Morgan, Destination
NSW; Rachel Telford, Tourism WA; and Leah
Clarke, SATC.
Meanwhile, top executives of Cruise Lines
International Association (CLIA) spoke about
cruising’s safety record and policies as well as
the industry’s prospects.
Howard Frank, vice chairman of Carnival
Corporation and chairman of CLIA, said: “We
have faced setbacks in the past, and in each
case we have shown tremendous resiliency.
“We have every reason to look to the future
with confidence that cruising will remain a
vibrant industry and we will continue to build
on the last thirty-plus years of extraordinary
growth.”
CLIA’s president and ceo Christine Duffy
highlighted many of the factors in the industry’s
success: a 125% increase in passengers since
2000, including a record 16.3 million in 2011;
the introduction of 143 new ships during that
time; and the launch of 25 ships between
2012 and 2015, including 14 this year.