Fort Lauderdale (USA), March 28 (EFE).- The cruise sector turned the page on the crisis unleashed by the pandemic, with brilliant passenger forecasts and the opportunity to become an “essential industry” with environmental sustainability as its north, as announced by its directors on Tuesday.
Between 27 and 33 million people in the world will take a cruise this year, said the global president of the International Cruise Association (CLIA), the Italian Pierfrancesco Vago, during the Seatrade Cruise Global, the largest event in the world. cruise industry in the world.
“It’s an incredible achievement,” said Vago, opening a panel on the state of this industry in which the top executives of the four major cruise companies participated.
The global president of CLIA added that forecasts for 2026 reach almost 39 million passengers, that is, 30% more than in 2019, the year before the outbreak of the covid-19 pandemic.
The studies carried out by CLIA reflect that the interest in traveling on a cruise is greater than before covid-19, with 85% of travelers indicating that they would repeat this vacation experience, a higher percentage than in 2019.
The same inclination can also be seen among those who have never been on a cruise, according to Vago.
The executive, who is also executive president of the MSC Group cruise division, pointed out that they have come out stronger after the pandemic, but that the challenge now has to do with the commitments of zero greenhouse gas emissions by the year 2050.
“It is our responsibility, for future generations”, invoked Vago, who highlighted that this year the sector is proud to have the “youngest, cleanest and most technologically advanced” cruise fleet.
While progress on the environment needs to be better communicated, the CLIA chief executive said cruises are leaders in responsible travel and as a result have a great opportunity to become “an essential industry.”
“We have overcome the complex challenges around decarbonization before many other sectors of business and society. But people don’t know how far we’ve come,” he added.
SUSTAINABLE, BUT FOCUSED ON THE HEART OF THE INDUSTRY
Kelly Craighead, the president of the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), and a panel member, highlighted that 14 new cruise ships will be launched this year, all with technological innovations that demonstrate “adaptability” in terms of the use of alternatives. to fossil fuels.
“Evolution has only accelerated,” stressed the executive, after referring to options such as liquefied gas, biofuels and synthetic fuels.
“The cruise industry is at the tip of the sea driving technological advances, because we need to prepare our ships to use alternative energy when it is available,” said the president of Royal Caribbean, Jason Liberty.
With less emotion, Frank Del Río, president of Norwegian Cruise Line, pointed out that the sector must have its own agenda and not forget the heart of the business: “offering a great experience to passengers.”
“We are going to do what technology and science allow us, we are not scientists,” added Del Río, after showing doubts about reaching the goal of zero emissions in less than 30 years.
Carnival Corporation CEO Josh Weinstein acknowledged that his clients don’t make their vacation decisions because of how responsible the firm can be, although he applauded advances in that field made in the industry.
“I think our pending task is to better communicate the value of our offer,” he said.
CONGRESS AND FAIR
After a welcome day on Monday, the Seatrade Cruise Global began today with a program that will last until Thursday that includes a series of forums and workshops on the situation and prospects for the development of the industry, and which is expected to gather until about 10,000 attendees.
At the Broward County Convention Center, 25 miles. north of Miami, a fair opened its doors that brings together cruise companies, as well as tour operators and public institutions that operate in the sector, many of them European.
Among the latter are 21 airport authorities from Spain, who arrive at this annual meeting of the sector with the forecast of a “total recovery” of cruise ship and cruise passenger traffic in the Iberian country in 2023 until reaching pre-pandemic levels.
As a novelty in this year’s edition, the Seatrade Cruise Global celebrates in parallel from today until Wednesday the F& (email protected) fair, “an immersive two-day experience dedicated to the intersection of the cruise and food and beverage industries ”, as the organization described.
