Relevance of cruise sector ‘never been higher’, Clia chief tells agents

The relevance of the cruise sector has “never been higher” and agents must take advantage of all opportunities to engage with the industry this year, Clia chair Ben Bouldin said.

Speaking to 750 delegates at the 2023 Clia conference in Southampton, Bouldin urged agents to do all they can to educate themselves on the sector, which he anticipates will have its “most exciting year ever”.

“The world is waking up to what a cruise holiday is all about,” he said. “The relevance of this sector has never been higher and I think that’s what drives so many agents to this conference today.

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“The market has never been so accessible and my bet is the numbers of new-to-cruisers will be up significantly this year.

“Many agents left the industry during the pandemic and many are now joining us. We need to bring the benchmark of knowledge up so every agent has the ability to sell a cruise to any guest.

“There is a rich tapestry of ship opportunities for all agents to engage with this year and Clia will make sure it brings all of those to you.”

He went on to say the sector has challenges to overcome in the coming years, particularly in relation to achieveing its sustainability goals, but that the industry is not afraid of a fight, and with collaboration it will succeed.

“We don’t have all the answers but we do know this cruise sector will reach our goal of net zero by 2050,” he said.

“All of us in this industry know what it’s like to continue to push boundaries and we must collaborate as a sector as well as with new emerging tech companies and energy companies.

“It’s a challenge for us but we are used to overcoming and smashing challenges and the fact we had such a good wave season is a demonstration of the fact that we are back better than ever.”