In a whirlwind of a few days, Seatrade Europe took place in Hamburg, Germany, and we at DeCurtis were excited to hear our fellow industry leaders speak on hot issues in cruise. At this event, we heard leaders talk about the burning matters of the cruise industry and provide insights into the relationships between the lines and port and destinations. Business is growing rapidly, and the speakers provided insight into how the economy and the environment in which they do business are affected. Cruise executives presented on impactful, innovative, and crucial matters in our industry. Two of these topics stood out: sustainability and the economic and social impact on ports of call.

 

Sustainability is a top priority, and the cruise industry is committed to lessening its impact on the environment and ports of call. Therefore, many lines have implemented concrete action plans to address critical issues. Michael Thamm, Chairman of CLIA Europe, gave opening remarks on the importance of becoming sustainable. In his presentation, Mr. Thamm highlighted how cruise only represents 2% of global tourism but is the most visible and therefore subjected to a negative perception and increased scrutiny. A goal has been set to strive toward zero emissions to combat this public perception:  by 2030, the cruise industry is committed to reducing carbon emissions by 40%. Two ways the industry is striving toward this goal are investing in new technologies to reduce emissions and the electrification of cruise ships by using batteries to provide power instead of fuel. During the State of the European Cruise Industry event, executives stressed collaboration and not competing when it comes to sustainability as an industry and how this is another critical element for success in reaching their goals.

Economic & Social Impact

With over 1600 worldwide ports of call, the economic impact the industry provides to each port was extensively covered during the tradeshow. The cruise industry reported it provides 135 billion dollars in financial contribution and provides 1.1 million jobs globally. With more ships on order, industry leaders explained what they are doing to work with the ports to reduce daily disruption for ports of call. Ships and ports are working together closely by communicating the best times to arrive and how guests should disembark to not put a burden on the communities in which they dock. This flow of communication is critical to ensure the industry can significantly lessen its impact on the port of call communities.

A lot of information was covered during the show, but these two topics kept being discussed at various panels and at networking events. The cruise industry is committed to not being harmful to the environment or depleting natural resources in the future, as well as being mindful of the communities in which they dock. It is an exciting time to work in the cruise space and here at DeCurtis, we know the unique challenges that arise when implementing any type of change in protocol to meet new initiatives and goals in cruise. We look forward to helping our clients meet those goals.