A report on the key activities of the Association during the period June 2015 October Prepared by the MedCruise Secretariat

Transcription

1 A report on the key activities of the Association during the period June 2015 October 2015 Prepared by the MedCruise Secretariat

2 CONTENTS I. HEADING TO CHINA MedCruise creates a cruising the Med culture in Asia... 3 II. REACHING EUROPEAN TRAVEL AGENTS Travel Agent Programme: A CLIA Europe/MedCruise Joint Initiative... 3 III. MEDCRUISE STUDIES Developing guidelines for Cruise Terminal Investment, Planning and Design The MedCruise Fact Finding Report... 4 IV. POLICY ISSUES European Cruise & Ferry Port Network advances the European Code of Practice Regional Med meeting of Pan-European dialogue on cruise... 5 V. MARKETING AND PROMOTION Launched in August: the monthly MedCruise e-newsletter MedCruise brand new promotional brochure MedCruise News : Our quarterly newsletter... 6 VI. IN THE WEB & SOCIAL MEDIA MedCruise website goes popular: Visits increase by 89% in Spreading members news via social media... 7 VII. MEDCRUISE IN PRESS MedCruise Objectives: The President s perspectives MedCruise targets growing Asia market Discussing the prospects of Med ports at Gibraltar Shipping... 8 VIII. PARTICIPATION IN EVENTS/CONFERENCES MedCruise on cruise ports/city Mediterranean Logistics and Transport Summit MedCruise shapes the Costa Brava Cruise Symposium MedCruise at Tenerife Cruise Forum MedCruise actively participates at Seatrade Europe MedCruise shapes discussions at Seatrade Europe conference MedCruise President addresses the Italian Cruise Day MedCruise at GreenPort Cruise Conference MedCruise at the Pan-Hellenic Conference on Cruise Ports IX. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PDC2016 heads to the biggest cruise vessel of the world X. UPGRADING OUR GA MEETINGS New MedCruise GA format transforms the event to the major meeting point of Cruise lines executives and cruise ports Positive members reaction to changes XI. MEDCRUISE IN FUTURE EVENTS XII. LINKING OUR MEMBERS WITH CRUISE LINES XIII. Do you know that MedCruise represents more than 100 ports in 20 countries MedCruise received 6 membership applications within MedCruise in Action is a report produced by the MedCruise Secretariat MedCruise in Action Issue 2 (Jun-Oct 2015) Page 2

3 I. HEADING TO CHINA 1. MedCruise creates a cruising the Med culture in Asia The Mediterranean and its adjoining seas has enormous potential when it comes to further advancing cruise activities. MedCruise leads the way, embarking since July on a China Project that aims to assist the Med emerging as the mostly preferred cruise destination among Chinese cruise tourists. The target is that MedCruise ports and their immediate surroundings (port cities) will become the benchmark for cruise tourism in the Mediterranean area for international tourists. To accomplish the above, MedCruise in collaboration with Chinese Friendly develops a corporate image of the Mediterranean coast as a benchmark destination for Chinese tourism, without forgetting that the sea itself represents a high degree of attraction as an experience of nature, culture, gastronomy, etc. very much appreciated by Chinese tourists in general. The project will also provide an answer on how should the destinations outside of China prepare for an increased inflow of Asian cruisers. The key deliverables of the first phase include an extended Asian market research, the creation of a MedCruise microsite in Chinese, and a search engine marketing campaign that will facilitate the effective motivation of the Chinese market. The project follows a number of other Asia related initiatives (i.e. participating and educating travel agents on the potential of the Med and its adjoining seas in Seatrade Cruise Asia events since 2013, the publication of newsletters in Chinese/Korean etc.) creating a competitive advantage for being part of the Association As part of the project, a special session is organised as part of the 47 th MedCruise General Assembly. II. REACHING EUROPEAN TRAVEL AGENTS 2. Travel Agent Programme: A CLIA Europe/MedCruise Joint Initiative The CLIA Europe/MedCruise joint initiative aims to create an effective learning and engagement programme to educate and certify the travel agent community and support the growth of the cruise industry in the Med and beyond. MedCruise works with CLIA Europe to develop two different editions, the English and the French version, that will include material and thus promote - all MedCruise members in a balanced way. MedCruise retain a priority as regards the engagement in relevant programs developed by the cruise lines association in the future. A series of meetings advanced the collaboration between the two associations, and the progress of the project is presented and discussed at the 47 th MedCruise General Assembly. The progress of the project is presented and discussed at the 47 th MedCruise General Assembly. MedCruise in Action Issue 2 (Jun-Oct 2015) Page 3

4 III. MEDCRUISE STUDIES 3. Developing guidelines for Cruise Terminal Investment, Planning and Design MedCruise seeks to offer its members a Report and Guidelines for Cruise Terminals Investment, Planning and Design that will enable cruise ports in the Mediterranean and its adjoining seas to create best strategies in order to invest in building new cruise terminals or recovering old ones for cruise operations. The guidelines will take into consideration the different needs of the various types of operations, terminals and cruise ports. The related Call for Tenders was circulated in September 2015, while the deadline for submissions expires on November 6th. 4. The MedCruise Fact Finding Report In a major attempt to detail the contemporary characteristics of the cruise port industry in the Mediterranean and its adjoining seas, MedCruise conducted a key survey aiming to highlight the characteristics, and challenges that the MedCruise member ports are facing. The outcome of the report will form a special MedCruise Fact Finding Report that will detail the current state of the cruise port industry in the Mediterranean and its adjoining seas. The MedCruise Fact Finding Report will be published in early 2016, part of a series of activities to mark the MedCruise 20 years celebration. IV. POLICY ISSUES 5. European Cruise & Ferry Port Network advances the European Code of Practice The second meeting of the European Cruise & Ferry Port Network (ECFPN), which is set within ESPO, took place in Copenhagen, on October 5 th, The 6 port associations that are part of the Network (Cruise Baltic, Cruise Europe, Cruise Norway and Cruise Britain, and MedCruise) advanced the preparation of a European Cruise & Ferry Code of Practice, that is expected to be published in Chaired by MedCruise Honorary President Stavros Hatzakos, ECFPN has identified five key themes, and formed respective working groups: MedCruise in Action Issue 2 (Jun-Oct 2015) Page 4

5 Security & Customs/ Border control Competition/ Cooperation among Ports Port Infrastructure Port-City Relation Relationships between ports and Cruise & Ferry lines (led by MedCruise/Cruise Europe) A number of MedCruise members have joined the above working groups, actively contributing with a Mediterranean perspective. These are Antun Asic (Port of Dubrovnik), Bojan Babic (Port of Koper), Aris Batsoulis (Corfu Port Authority), Maria Cano Olmos (Port of Palamos), Eftychia Christodoulou (Cyprus Port Authority), Airam Diaz Pastor (Tenerife Ports), Sandra Domènech Molné (Port of Tarragona), Konstantinos Grinias (Igoumenitsa Port Authority), Athanassios Karlis (Piraeus Port Authority), Dimitris Koletsos (Patras Port Authority), César Lopez Ansorena (Port of Ceuta), Laurent Monsaingeon (Riviera ports), Francesca Morucci (Port of Livorno), Fernando Muñoz (Port of Cartagena), Kristijian Pavic (Port of Dubrovnik), Mar Pérez Cortés (Port of Barcelona), Anna Piroti (Igoumenitsa Port Authority) and Theodoros Tsitouras (Piraeus Port Authority). 6. Regional Med meeting of Pan-European dialogue on cruise Following the inaugural meeting of the Pan-European dialogue between cruise operators, ports and coastal tourism stakeholders, held in Brussels, 5-6 March, 2015, the European Commission decided organised a by invitation only event held in Olbia, North Sardinia, the eve of the 47th MedCruise General Assembly. This Mediterranean Regional Cruise Dialogue meeting was schedule to took place at on Wednesday, 14 October 2015, with the participation of representatives from ports, cruise lines, destinations and others stakeholders. V. MARKETING AND PROMOTION 7. Launched in August: the monthly MedCruise e-newsletter In August 2015, the MedCruise Secretariat circulated the first edition of the MedCruise e- Newsletter. This new initiative provides to MedCruise members an additional excellent marketing tool that allows MedCruise to spread its news along with the news of its membership to the cruise world as MedCruise has developed a broad database including cruise lines, international press, port executives and associations related to the cruise and shipping industry. Members and associate members are invited to take advantage of this initiative, but also the MedCruise website, and social media circulation of their news by simply mailing them to the MedCruise secretariat at: secretariat@medcruise.com. MedCruise in Action Issue 2 (Jun-Oct 2015) Page 5

6 8. MedCruise brand new promotional brochure In September 2015, MedCruise published a brand new brochure that was widely distributed during Seatrade Europe The brochure includes information on the main objectives of the Association, the membership benefits, and presents the initiatives that the association has taken in recent times, and will accompany MedCruise in all forthcoming cruise events. The MedCruise secretariat would happily post you copies to circulate the brochure to interested ports and cruise stakeholders. 9. MedCruise News : Our quarterly newsletter MedCruise in collaboration will Seatrade produced the latest editions quarterly newsletters including news of the MedCruise members, along with the recent activities of the Association. Since June 2015, the Association has published two more issues of the MedCruise Newsletter (Issue 48 June 2015 & Issue 49 September 2015) that were posted to all MedCruise members, circulated to the cruise professionals worldwide, as well as widely distributed during major cruise events. The MedCruise secretariat would happily post you copies of MedCruise News. VI. IN THE WEB & SOCIAL MEDIA 10. MedCruise website goes popular: Visits increase by 89% in 2015 MedCruise renewed its website in early 2015, modernizing its outlook and, most importantly, regularly upgrading its content. As a result, the MedCruise website enjoys a surge of new visits by the cruise world with obvious benefits for the membership of the Association. MedCruise in Action Issue 2 (Jun-Oct 2015) Page 6

7 According to Google analytics, within the first nine months of the year (Jan-Sept 2015), the number of site users increased by the impressive 89% comparing to last year, reaching unique users, whereas the number of page views per session increased by 5,8%. MedCruise members news circulated via their Association s website are gaining an increased attention by the cruise world send us your news at: secretariat@medcruise.com 11. Spreading members news via social media MedCruise is also getting noticed on social media. As of October 2015, the Association is linked with thousands of maritime and cruise industry professionals all over the world. 634 likes on Facebook 1035 followers on Twitter 500+ LinkedIn connections & 186 company followers MedCruise circulates its members news on a regular basis, keeping its followers always posted. VII. MEDCRUISE IN PRESS 12. MedCruise Objectives: The President s perspectives MedCruise President Carla Salvadό was interviewed by Ángeles Vargas on behalf of hosteltur.com. Salvadό explained that attracting the Asian market to choose the Med and its adjoining seas as a cruise destination is a top objective for the Association. You might read the interview at: MedCruise targets growing Asia market In the same context, MedCruise secretary general Thanos Pallis provided his commentary in the latest issue of International Cruise and Ferry Review. Thanos explained that MedCruise is currently engaged in activities aimed at generating source markets for cruising the Med. You might read the interview at: MedCruise in Action Issue 2 (Jun-Oct 2015) Page 7

8 14. Discussing the prospects of Med ports at Gibraltar Shipping MedCruise Secretary General Thanos Pallis presented his views on the state and prospects of MedCruise and its member cruise ports in the September issue of Gibraltar Shipping. You might read the interview at: VIII. PARTICIPATION IN EVENTS/CONFERENCES 15. MedCruise on cruise ports/city Mediterranean Logistics and Transport Summit MedCruise President Carla Salvadό shaped discussions during the Mediterranean Logistics and Transport Summit that was held on 9 and 10 June 2015 in Barcelona, Spain. The event took place within the framework of the 17th edition of the International Logistics and Material Handling Exhibition (SIL 2015). Discussing the current state of the cruise industry and its future prospects, MedCruise President highlighted the main challenges that cruise ports face nowadays, explained how ports can regain their role as drivers of urban economic growth and how negative port impacts can be mitigated. Carla Salvadό concluded that the need for involving the whole value chain is undeniable. 16. MedCruise shapes the Costa Brava Cruise Symposium A broad range of cruise sector leaders and public sector personalities gathered in the port of Palamós for the first Costa Brava Cruise Symposium on Monday, June 15th, MedCruise President Carla Salvadό was among the keynote speakers of the event. With the overall participation by more than 100 attendees and the quality of presentations and discussion being highly satisfactory, conference participants extracted valuable conclusions on the prospects of cruise activities for smaller in size cruise ports and beyond. María Cano Olmos, who heads cruise activities for Ports de la Generalitat de Catalunya and acts as MedCruise Director for Press and Communication, expressed her satisfaction for the input that the Symposium will have to the development of the ports strategy. The Symposium was moderated by Juan Madrid, Honorary President of MedCruise and CEO of Consultants Barcelona Port Advisers, who tackled issues related to the role of small cruise ports in the Mediterranean Sea. MedCruise in Action Issue 2 (Jun-Oct 2015) Page 8

9 17. MedCruise at Tenerife Cruise Forum MedCruise President Carla Salavadό was among the keynote speakers of Tenerife Cruise Forum, held on June 18th, 2015, in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Carla Salvadό described the current state of the cruise industry in the Med and its adjoining seas, explaining how cruise port associations contribute to the promotion of destinations and the development of good relations among the cruise industry stakeholders, while highlighted the need for involving the whole value chain to respond to the current challenges. MedCruise port member representatives including Airam Diaz Pastor, the director of the organisers Tenerife Ports, Lotfi El Ajmi, Tunisian Ports and Alexandra Mendonca, Ports of Madeira, actively participated in the discussions explaining the seasonality trends in cruise destinations and highlighting the importance of cruise port associations for the promotion of European cruise ports. Among the conclusions of the Forum was the need for extension of the cruise season in the region, while it was highlighted that the cruise ship crews form a great influence for the promotion of the cruise destinations. 18. MedCruise actively participates at Seatrade Europe 2015 MedCruise was dynamically present at the 2015 edition of Seatrade Europe, held in Hamburg, Germany, 9-11 September 2015, actively promoting cruise activities in the Med and beyond. The MedCruise stand hosted numerous business meetings between MedCruise members and cruise professionals. For three successive days, the stand of the Association was the meeting point of port representatives, cruise line executives, and stakeholders involved in the cruise sector, advancing cruise activities in the Mediterranean and its adjoining seas. The highlights of Seatrade Europe included the welcome reception organised at the MedCruise stand, an event attended by cruise professionals and provided excellent networking opportunities to its members. The extended list of MedCruise members exhibiting at Seatrade Europe 2015 included the ports of Azores, French Riviera, Kavala, Lisbon, Madeira, Malaga, Marseille, Portimao, Sete, Tarragona, Tenerife, Var Provence and Valletta. In addition, various MedCruise members participated in the Italian ports pavilion (Assoporti), and the Spanish umbrella stands of Puertos del Estado and Suncruise Andalucia. Carla Salvadό, ΜedCruise President, also acted at panel of judges for the 2015 edition of the Seatrade Cruise Awards. MedCruise in Action Issue 2 (Jun-Oct 2015) Page 9

10 19. MedCruise shapes discussions at Seatrade Europe conference MedCruise Honorary President Stavros Hatzakos under his capacity as President of the Cruise & Ferry Port Network, ESPO and General Manager of Piraeus Port Authority SA provided a view from the Mediterranean as a speaker at the Seatrade Europe 2015 conference, shaping discussions in the Understanding the Cruise Industry: How Can the Pan European Dialogue Create a Platform for Sustainable Growth? session. 20. MedCruise President addresses the Italian Cruise Day 2015 MedCruise members actively participated at the Italian Cruise day 2015 that took place in the MedCruise Port of Civitavecchia on Friday, October 2nd, Among the keynote speakers, MedCruise President Carla Salvadό detailed the main challenges that cruise industry faces nowadays. 21. MedCruise at GreenPort Cruise Conference 2015 MedCruise actively participated at the GreenPort Cruise Conference 2015 that was held in Copenhagen, on October 6th, Invited by the organisers, Carla Salvadó (President), Thanos Pallis (Secretary General) and Valeria Mangiarotti (Port of Cagliari) shaped several sessions of the conference. 22. MedCruise at the Pan-Hellenic Conference on Cruise Ports MedCruise, and its Greek members actively participated at the Pan-Hellenic Conference on Cruise Ports, held in Athens October MedCruise Secretary General, Thanos Pallis, was among the keynote speakers that participated at the high-level Cruise Port Infrastructure round-table where he detailed the prospect of cruise activities in the Med, the role of MedCruise in advancing them, and discussed the respective infrastructural needs of Greek cruise ports. The panel was organised and moderated by MedCruise Honorary President Stavros Hatzakos, whereas the President and CEO of MedCruise associate member Navigator, Mr. Andreas Stylianopoulos, also shared the platform. IX. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT 23. PDC2016 heads to the biggest cruise vessel of the world Anne-Sophie Peyran, Director of Professional Development, along with the Secretariat, are currently working on the forthcoming edition of MedCruise PDC that will coincide with the 20 years celebration of the Association. The potential dates are on October 2016, while MedCruise is currently considering the offer of Royal Caribbean for the organisation of this 5 th edition of MedCruise PDC on board the brand new Harmony of the Seas. MedCruise in Action Issue 2 (Jun-Oct 2015) Page 10

11 X. UPGRADING OUR GA MEETINGS 24. New MedCruise GA format transforms the event to the major meeting point of Cruise lines executives and cruise ports. Following a BoD decision, MedCruise decided the progressive application of changes in the format of the MedCruise General Assemblies, starting from the 46 th MedCruise GA that took place in Zadar, Croatia (3-6 June 2015), the MedCruise GA includes: Even more B2B meeting sessions with cruise line executives and international press representatives - B2B sessions now last in total 4,5 hours, making MedCruise GAs the cruise event with most Interactive Workshops with the participation of cruise line executives and the involvement of small groups of participants, in order to provide meaningful interactions on most important themes. Two BoD members, representing a big and small port respectively, moderate each workshop with the participating cruise line executives expected to interact with GA delegates on relevant issues. 25. Positive members reaction to changes MedCruise Secretariat circulated a Satisfaction Survey in July 2015, following the 46th MedCruise GA in Zadar. The overall impression is that the members of the Association are very satisfied by the new General Assembly format, as well as by the progress of the MedCruise Studies such as the Fact Finding Survey. XI. MEDCRUISE IN FUTURE EVENTS International Cruise Summit 2015, Madrid November 2015 Mediterranean Week of Economic Leaders 2015, Barcelona November 2015 Seatrade Cruise Global 2016, Fort Lauderdale March 2016 Seatrade Cruise Asia 2016, Busan May 2016 Seatrade Cruise Med 2016, Santa Cruz de Tenerife September 2016 MedCruise in Action Issue 2 (Jun-Oct 2015) Page 11

12 XII. LINKING OUR MEMBERS WITH CRUISE LINES Our members enjoyed in 2015 the opportunity to privately explore business opportunities with all the following cruise lines and their executives. Kerry Anastassiadis Tom Anderson Federico Bartoli Paul Britton Russell Daya Roberto di Tucci Sander Groothuis Bruce Krumrine Dustin Nason Michel Nestour Luigi Pastena Mike Pawlus MedCruise in Action Issue 2 (Jun-Oct 2015) Page 12

13 Marcus Puttich Miguel Reyna Javier Rodriguez Sanchez Adam Sharp Gianluca Suprani Thank you for your contribution in the MedCruise General Assemblies! MedCruise in Action Issue 2 (Jun-Oct 2015) Page 13

14 XIII. Do you know that MedCruise represents more than 100 ports in 20 countries o o o o 71 regular members 30 associate members >100 ports 20 countries 27. MedCruise received 6 membership applications within 2015 New Regular members that joined the Association in June 2015 Port of Bastia/North Corsica Port of Burgas New Associate members that joined the Association in June 2015 Iberoservice World Synergy Travel New Associate members that joined the Association in October 2015 Port of Dubrovnik County Authority Scandinavian Near East Agency S.A. (SNEAL) MedCruise in Action is a report produced by the MedCruise Secretariat MedCruise in Action is an internal publication aiming to update members on the activities of the Association taking place in-between the General Assemblies of the Association. The next issue will be circulated at the 48th MedCruise General Assembly. For more information on MedCruise activities, you might contact the MedCruise secretariat@medcruise.com (L-R: Aimilia Papachristou, Carla Salvadό (President), Thanos Pallis (Secretary General), Kleopatra Arapi) MedCruise in Action Issue 2 (Jun-Oct 2015) Page 14