Thousands of travel agents across New Zealand and Australia will be able to share their views on sustainability and responsible travel through an industry survey sent to members yesterday afternoon by Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA).

Workforce issues across a number of areas, including in the travel agency community, are the biggest challenges facing the cruise sector right now, according to panellists at the Cruise 360 conference in Sydney.

Steve Odell, senior vice-president and managing director, Asia Pacific of Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Oceania Cruises, says some of his biggest concerns are around the distribution channel.

Travel advisors should not be afraid to throw crazy ideas at their past clients and give them a nudge to travel again of they are hesitant, delegates at the Cruise Lines International Association’s (CLIA’s) Cruise 360 conference in Sydney recently were told.

A Sydney-based cruise executive who offered to help Kiwi regional tourism offices and local operators spread a positive message around their communities is likely to get a few calls in coming weeks.

The need to dispel negative perceptions of cruise in some of the public was a much touched on topic during the New Zealand Cruise Association conference in Auckland last week.

Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) Australasia has announced the return of its Cruise Port & Destination Virtual Showcase, giving travel agent members a chance to gain practical insight into top cruise destinations around the world.

The week-long webinar programme will run from July 19 to 26 with presentations from 12 CLIA Executive Partners, each providing information to ensure cruise clients get the most from their visits.

Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), has released its Global Cruise Industry Environmental Technologies and Practices Inventory and associated Environmental Report produced by Oxford Economics (OE). It comes as CLIA ocean-going members commit to pursue net carbon neutral cruising by 2050.

The number of passengers who have sailed worldwide since ocean cruise operations resumed last year has now passed three million people, while governments in Australia and New Zealand are still yet to agree on plans for a local revival.

Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) managing director Australasia Joel Katz notes cruising has resumed in 52 countries worldwide and that Australasia remains one of the only major cruise regions where governments had not progressed plans for resumption.

‘Worldwide, more than 70% of CLIA cruise line ocean-going ships are back in operation and we expect that figure to reach 80% in December,’ Katz says. ‘This shows the effectiveness of the cruise industry’s new health protocols introduced in response to the global pandemic.

A large number of consumers, even avid cruisers, in New Zealand and Australia are not aware of health and safety measures being implemented by cruise lines, a Cruise Critic survey shows.

Presenting the results at the CLIA Cruise Forum webinars last week, Cruise Critic’s Colleen McDaniel said the gap in client’s knowledge presented obvious opportunities for the trade.

The survey asked respondents how they would rate the cruise industry in successfully implementing measures to keep guests and destination residents from contracting and spreading Covid-19.

Travel advisors should plan to prioritise loyal customers when people are able to travel again, a presenter at the CLIA Cruise Forum webinars said last week.

Michael Londregan, senior vice-president global operations of Virtuoso, was one of many speakers who noted that overseas experience indicated a rush to travel advisors when borders opened. Ironically this could cause problems considering the huge reduction in staff that travel businesses now have.

Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) managing director Australasia Joel Katz says this is the only major cruise region in the world not making progress towards revival after the Canadian Government announced it had brought forward the end of its cruise suspension to 1 November 2021.

Canada’s plans to revive cruise tourism place it alongside other destinations including the US, UK, Europe and parts of Asia where cruising has already resumed under stringent new health protocols and testing regimes.