| Comment from Miami

A major event on the cruise industry
calendar each year is Cruise Shipping
Miami, a conference that is regarded
globally as the platform for the
development and evolution of our
growing industry.
The cruise industry has certainly been in
the spotlight over the last couple of
months following the Costa Concordia
incident and our thoughts continue to be
with those affected by this event.
What has been very evident in this short
period and further highlighted here at
the Miami Conference is how the cruise
industry has united as a consistent and
consolidated voice lead by our sister
association in the USA – CLIA.
The mood here is very upbeat and there
is a definite confidence amongst leading
cruise line executives that lessons
learned from the Costa incident will
ensure that cruising remains one of the
safest holiday options available worldwide.
A quote from CLIA President and CEO,
Christine Duffy stated that “like all strong
industries, we apply lessons learned and
invest in new innovations in order to
grow.
“As the global cruise industry continues
to grow, it attracts not only greater
interest on the part of consumers but
greater visibility and increased
responsibility”.
For Australia and New Zealand,
although only small on the world scale,
we are certainly in the spotlight of the
global industry,
recognised as an
emerging source
market with a growth
rate that is the envy
of all and potentially
the world leader, on a
per capita basis, in
the near future.