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Seatrade Europe keynote–CLIA Europe Chairman: We are taking our social responsibilities very seriously

Seatrade Cruise Outstanding Contribution and Personality Award Winners

Sustainability and source markets were also key topics in the panel discussion moderated by Mary Bond Group Director of Seatrade.

 

LONDON / HAMBURG – Seatrade Europe – the leading trade event for the European cruise and river cruise industry – opened on yesterday with a strong message to delegates that value creation, responsible innovation and sustainable tourism are amongst the key priorities for the cruise industry.

Addressing the issue of balancing growth with sustainability, Michael Thamm, Chairman, CLIA Europe and Group Chief Executive Officer, Costa Group and Carnival Asia commented in the Keynote Address, “Cruising continues to be the preferred holiday experience for an expected 30 million passengers in 2019 globally, with 7.5 million coming from Europe. Europe is the second biggest cruise market with 25% share of the business and 540 ports of the 1600+ worldwide.”

Thamm told the audience of over 450 delegates, “Although our share of some of the busiest destinations is between 5% and 10%, we are conscious of public concerns and we are committed to working more closely with local stakeholders.”

Addressing the audience openly, Thamm stated, “Let me be direct: this public image does not reflect who we are. As a cruise industry, we are conscious that with our growth and increased weight comes with the need to act responsibly, and we are taking our social responsibilities very seriously.”

Thamm was followed on stage by a strong panel of industry executives that featured: Felix Eichhorn, President, AIDA Cruises; Capt. Michael McCarthy, Chairman, Cruise Europe; Wybcke Meier, Chief Executive Officer, TUI Cruises GmbH; Gianni Onorato, CEO, MSC Cruises; Karl J. Pojer, Chief Executive Officer, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises; and Gavin Smith, SVP of International, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.

Sustainability and source markets were also key topics in the panel discussion moderated by Mary Bond Group Director of Seatrade.

Responding to challenges facing ports, McCarthy, who represents over 100 North European ports, called on cruise lines, as well as CLIA, to increase using ports as industry ambassadors and an interface to local stakeholders on sustainability matters. He added that member ports of Cruise Europe are increasingly facing questions related to operational matters which, if armed with more information, could be handled at source.

Turning to the German source market, Pojer was optimistic it will continue to prosper long into the 2020’s suggesting it could surpass the benchmark of 3 million passengers per year by 2021/2022.

Meier of TUI Cruises noted, “Our latest research shows the potential in Germany is high. Germans love to travel and, with 34% of Germans wanting to cruise and only 8% having been on a cruise, there’s huge potential especially in Northern Europe.”

Eichhorn also commented on the German cruise market addressing the need to differentiate and offer new experiences to passengers, “We need to listen to customers and provide new ships, destinations and cruises with a focus on what we offer on shore.”

The opening session also addressed the impact of Brexit on the industry, particularly in the UK market. “The UK and Ireland are going through a difficult period which will impact passengers' confidence but ‘staycations’ are becoming more popular as people seek to escape from their problems – and we can provide that as an industry,” commented Smith.

Wrapping up the session, moderator Bond asked “Fast forwarding to Seatrade Europe in 2025, what do you think will be top of the cruise agenda in Europe and why

Onorato said “We will be talking about developing new destinations.” Moreover, Smith predicted, “Technology and the way customers buy, and how we deliver the cruise products will change over the next 6 years.”

Day One continues with free content on the Showcase Deck, ‘Cruise Passengers Welcome – Balanced Tourism Solutions by SeaConsult & TRIAD’ and two conference sessions: ‘Greener Cruising’ sponsored by gmec and ‘River Cruising in Europe – How to Cope with Safety and Sustainability Challenges.’ The first day is rounded up by the popular ‘Taste of the Tropics’ Welcome Reception hosted by the Caribbean Village.

Seatrade Cruise Awards Winners Announced

Rudi Schreiner, President/Co-Owner of AmaWaterways and Robin Shaw, CEO of Saga Travel were amongst the winners of the Seatrade Cruise Awards 2019 announced this evening as part of the CLIA Germany Gala Dinner on the occasion of Seatrade Europe 2019.

The awards were presented by Mary Bond, Group Director, Seatrade Cruise, alongside Ingo Soerensen, Area VP, Global Cruise Sales, Oracle Hospitality and Ian Richardson – CEO & Co-founder, TheICEWay – Principal Sponsors of the Seatrade Cruise Awards.

According to Bond, the awards, once again, received a record number of entries, reflecting the high standards within the industry as well as the global reach of the renowned award scheme.

Now in the 13th edition, the Seatrade Cruise Awards celebrates the best of international cruise industry success, ambition and innovation. For 2019, seven industry awards were supported by two personality awards, including: Seatrade Outstanding Contribution Award and Seatrade Cruise Personality of the Year, which was again sponsored by V Ships Leisure.

Following the announcement of the industry awards, Mary Bond presented the two Personality Awards. First to be called to the stage was the winner of the Outstanding Contribution Award – Rudi Schreiner, President/Co-Owner of AmaWaterways. 

Speaking about Schreiner and his long career, Bond said: “Known for innovating and being a trend setter in the river cruise sector, AmaWaterways started from a single vessel in 2003, and now boasts a fleet of 23. Heading up a family-run business along with his wife, Kristin Karst, their strategy is based on creating a product that they would enjoy themselves. This multi-talented person is also an architect who creates the General Arrangements and cabin designs of all newbuilds.”

Next to be welcomed on stage was, Robin Shaw, CEO of Saga Travel, to much applause as he was named Seatrade Cruise Personality of the Year 2018, sponsored by V. Ships Leisure.

Per Bjornsen, Director of V.Ships Leisure told the audience: “Tonight’s winner has lead a dedicated team who have quietly transformed their fleet and in doing so their company. Setting out with three classic vessels, they won board support for the company’s first ever newbuild program and secured slots at one of the most prestigious European yards. This year, 2019, marks their vision becoming a reality as they welcomed the first of their two new boutique cruise ships into their fleet. The significance of what has been described by their group CEO as the ‘rebirth’ of their entire group cannot be understated as they have successfully built an enviable reputation in the British cruise market whilst preparing for the future with a brand new fleet. Throughout this time, their now CEO of Travel has consistently driven their strategy with an unwavering clarity and focus.”

The industry award winners, chosen by a panel of industry experts, were announced as:

  • Destination of the Year – Cruise Baltic
  • Supplier of the Year – DeCurtis Corporation – Online Booking Platform
  • Marine Interior Design of the Year  – SMC Design for Saga Cruises’ Spirit of Discovery
  • Port of the Year – Zadar Cruise Port, Croatia
  • Environmental Initiative Award, sponsored by MedCruise – Hullwiper Ltd – Remotely Operated Underwater Vehicle
  • Marketing Initiative of the Year, sponsored by Cruise Baltic – Caribbean Village – Cruise Marketing Platform
  • Innovative Shorex of the Year Award – Abercrombie & Kent (Akorn) – Incubating Vidigital Entepreneurs, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Bond added: “We would like to extend our gratitude to our principal sponsors, Oracle Hospitality and TheICEWay and to individual awards sponsors Cruise Baltic, MedCruise and V Ships Leisure Ltd and to thank all Finalists who have been honoured here tonight."

Co-Founder & Chief Editor - TravelDailyNews Media Network | Website | + Posts

Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.

She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.

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