Quarterly Newsletter

Transcription

1 CLIA Europe Quarterly Newsletter Issue 5 December 2014

2 Foreword from CLIA Europe s Secretary General Dear colleagues, As 2014 draws to a close we find we can look back not only on yet another successful year for the cruise industry but also on a number of developments that will help underpin future growth. Across the industry we have seen the launch of exciting and innovative new ships, the opening up of new markets and destinations, mergers and acquisitions as well as leadership changes across the sector. All this is evidence that cruising is a dynamic, forward looking industry that is restless and unceasing in its search to ensure the product remains fresh, attractive and exciting in order to drive more people to choose a cruise holiday year on year. Our figures show that a record 6.4 million Europeans took a cruise in 2013 while our contribution to Europe s economy reached 39.4 billion in the same year resulting in 339,417 European jobs. Future growth, however, cannot be assured unless the cruising grounds in which our ships operate remain globally competitive and the economic contribution that the cruise industry makes is properly understood and valued by the regulators. It is in this context that CLIA s role in protecting, enhancing and promoting the cruise industry has never been more important. CLIA s new, global reach allows us to direct expert technical resources to regulatory issues all over the world and at all levels of government from the IMO to the EU to national and even sub-national regulators. Combined with an integrated and highly responsive communications capability and greatly enhanced by the local advocacy of our Executive Partner and Travel Agency members CLIA is able to gain early warning of issues affecting our business, to develop suitable responses and to ensure those are communicated in a timely and integrated manner. With growth comes greater oversight and many of the issues we have faced in recent years remain and may even intensify in 2015 and CLIA s importance to the industry will therefore continue to grow. This issue reflects the scale and range of activities that are constantly required to protect and promote the industry and I hope you will take the time to read through them and reflect upon what this activity means for your business. As many of you are aware, Raphael von Heereman, currently Vice President of Aero political and Regulatory Affairs at Qatar Airways, will be replacing me as CLIA Europe Secretary General in February 2015 and I have every confidence that he will continue the good work that we have pursued over these last years. It therefore just remains for me to say how much I have enjoyed working in this fascinating, vibrant sector and how fortunate I am to have been aided and assisted by so many expert and enthusiastic people both from within the cruise lines and from our Executive Partners. A huge amount has been achieved in the past years and, while there is still much to be done, I have no doubt that CLIA is wellpositioned to continue to support the success of the cruise industry. I wish you and your loved ones a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Robert Ashdown 2

3 EU Policy Highlights For more information, please contact Marco Digioia, Director of Government Affairs CLIA Europe highlights the key role of cruise industry for growth, jobs and culture at the XIII EU Tourism Forum CLIA Europe attended the XIII European Tourism Forum which this year took place in Naples, Italy, on October under the Italian EU Presidency. Tourism and Culture in Europe: Innovative actions for jobs and economic growth was the main theme of this year s Forum. In his intervention, CLIA Europe Director of Government Affairs Marco Digioia highlighted how cruising is a dynamic, innovative, and accessible way to share Europe s unique cultural heritage, both ancient and modern, and at the same time contribute significantly to job creation and economic growth in Europe. In welcoming the Italian Presidency s EU agenda, he stressed the need of cutting red tape for third-country tourists by a swift implementation of the Visa Code review, and upgrading port infrastructure in order to facilitate maritime and coastal tourism. CLIA also called for a national and European regulatory framework on port taxes and charges not acting as a barrier to cruise operations. Pictures of the event can be found here. CLIA Europe holds Christmas Cocktail in Brussels On 2 December CLIA Europe hosted a well-attended Christmas Cocktail reception at its premises in Brussels. The cocktail brought together representatives from the EU institutions, Member States, regional representations and industry partners at this time of festivities. Due to complete his term as CLIA Europe Secretary General in early 2015, Robert Ashdown gave a speech in which he recalled some of the milestones of the year, such as the successful transition of the cruise industry representation across Europe. In thanking all CLIA partners for the close and productive cooperation, Robert Ashdown also announced the appointment of Dr Raphael von Heereman as the new CLIA Europe Secretary General. 3

4 CLIA Europe holds networking dinner on visa reform The first CLIA Europe Networking Dinner on EU Visa Code reform was held in early December at the Sofitel Brussels Europe Hotel. Organised by the CLIA Europe Secretariat, the event allowed for a constructive and fruitful exchange of views between cruise lines representatives of the CLIA Task Force on Visa and Foreign/Home Affairs attachés and Member States national experts from the working on the reform. In welcoming the proposed reform, CLIA Europe presented a number of constructive suggestions to improve the current text that would boost cruise industry s crucial contribution to growth and employment in Europe through facilitation of visa issuance for both passengers and crew, while maintaining a high level of security and control in ships, ports and destinations. The feedback received was very positive, and such meeting is to be a key step towards a closer cooperation with EU national governments on such important matter. CLIA Europe welcomes the establishment of European Parliament Tourism Intergroup CLIA Europe continues its active engagement with the Network of European Tourism Stakeholders (NET), having supported a number of recent initiatives brought forward by the Group to put European Tourism at the heart of the EU institutions policy agenda. As a result of the joint advocacy efforts, the European Parliament approved in December the creation of a new Intergroup on Tourism which will allow MEPs from various committees to tackle horizontal issues of key interest to the cruise industry and the tourism sector, such as visa review, accessibility, skills and qualifications, and employment. The establishment of this Intergroup is very much welcomed by CLIA Europe as it will maximise the impact of the European Parliament s work on tourism with direct benefit for Europe s growth and job creation. 4

5 Cruise industry s priorities reflected in EU Future Tourism policy consultation s outcome The European Commission has recently unveiled the results of a public consultation on Future of European tourism, which was carried out amongst selected stakeholders earlier this year and to which CLIA Europe had actively contributed. CLIA Europe is pleased to see that number of key recommendations brought forward have been taken into account, namely on visa facilitation, investment in tourism infrastructure and regional development, and port Reception Facilities. The results of such consultation will provide key elements for the preparation of a set of common actions for the European Tourism Strategy in , which will be discussed in the coming months. MRV: European Parliament - Council compromise agreement on final text The European Parliament and the Council of Ministers reached a compromise agreement in November on the proposed EU Monitoring, Reporting and Verification Regulation (MRV). MRV requirements will apply to CO2 emissions resulting from journeys to, from and between EU ports regardless of the ship s flag and ownership. The agreement will now have to be rubberstamped by both legislative chambers, with the procedure expected to conclude in spring 2015 at the earliest. Once adopted, the final Regulation will be published in the Official Journal, enter into force on 1 July 2015, and become operational as of 1 January The overall outcome of the negotiations is positive for the cruise industry, and CLIA Europe welcomes the balanced approach taken by the legislator, in particular in limiting the scope of the Regulation only to CO2 emissions. 5

6 Communication Highlights For more information, please contact Tomas Matesanz, Communications and Public Affairs Director New Secretary General On 12 November we announced that Raphael von Heereman will become CLIA Europe s new Secretary General. A seasoned airline and travel executive, Raphael brings more than 25 years of international experience to the role, which he is due to take up in Brussels in February 2015, following the announced departure of current Secretary General Robert Ashdown. Christine Duffy, CLIA s President & CEO, has thanked Robert for having successfully transitioned the European cruise industry representation across Europe into a network of independent but unified associations working collectively under the leadership of CLIA Europe. Christine has also shown her satisfaction with Dr von Heereman s appointment, highlighting his strong knowledge of Brussels and the EU policy arena as well as his experience in trade associations as some of his key assets. The CLIA Europe team looks forward to Rapahel s arrival. CLIA Italy attends Italian Cruise Day in Naples In October Francesco Galietti, CLIA Italy s National Director, attended the Italian Cruise Day, which took place in Naples this year. Francesco gave a keynote speech about the cruise industry s outlook in Italy, both for the economic and the touristic side. During the event, the B2B magazine Porto&Diporto were distributed with an editorial signed by him. After the event CLIA Italy issued a dedicated press release on the main industrywide messages delivered at the Italian Cruise Day. During the event Francesco had also the opportunity to strengthen his relations with key stakeholders and institutional representatives of both cruise industry and ports. These activities together contributed to strengthen the presence of CLIA on the Italian media and institutional scenario. 6

7 CLIA Europe Annual Dinner In the festive atmosphere of the Skyline Restaurant at the Stage Theater im Hafen Hamburg opposite the St. Pauli Landungsbrücken and Hamburg HafenCity CLIA Europe held its Annual Dinner 2014 on 27 October. Around 120 guests from the cruise sector took part at the event in Hamburg. Next to the CEOs and Presidents, nearly all German and international member cruise lines, representatives of CLIA and executive partners, local and German politicians and port administration, travel agents as well as suppliers joined the event, which was hosted by CLIA Germany for the first time. The event kicked off with a visit to the state-of-the-art Vessel Traffic Service Centre, which monitors and coordinates all shipping activity at the port of Hamburg. At the Hafentor dock guests were welcomed and transferred to the Skyline Restaurant on the frequent launch shuttle service. A live band and two show acts provided musical entertainment during the dinner. Next to that, participants enjoyed good networking opportunities as well as time for friendly conversation. Participants enjoyed an interesting event, which ended late in the evening and provided a very positive feedback, which encourages CLIA Deutschland to plan a second edition next year. Media engagement: wastewater discharges in the Baltic In the past two months, CLIA Europe has collaborated with Folke Rydén AB, a production company that is currently preparing a documentary on the impact of the maritime sector on the Baltic Sea. Having learned that they were approaching different member lines with questions related to wastewater discharges as well as with requests to analyse samples of black and grey waters, CLIA Europe s communications team contacted the producers and offered to answer any questions on behalf of the whole industry. On 13 October, Carolina Jemsby, a well-known Swedish journalist, interviewed CLIA Europe Secretary General at the IMO s Plenary Room in London, on the side-lines of the Marine Environment Protection Committee. He answered a range of questions related to the industry s environmental impact on the Baltic, namely on wastewater discharges and sulphur emissions. The documentary will be aired in January in stv, Sweden s national broadcaster. 7

8 Updates from European National CLIA Associations CLIA UK and Ireland hold River Cruise Convention in Amsterdam The fourth CLIA UK & Ireland River Cruise Convention in Amsterdam attracted a record number of delegates. The two-day event in November saw 250 people attend including 150 travel agents and 14 media. As well as business sessions and a trade fair, delegates had the opportunity to visit seven river ships along with a 12 passenger barge. CLIA UK & Ireland director Andy Harmer said: With a record numbers of British passengers taking a river holiday, more travel agents than ever are becoming interested in selling river cruises. There is no other event in the world that offers agents the opportunity to see first-hand so many different styles of river ship and to hear from key speakers on the latest industry developments. CLIA Spain takes part in the International Cruise Summit CLIA Spain had an active involvement in the International Cruise Summit of Madrid, held on November. Among other things, CLIA Spain organised one-on-one meetings between some of the association s national executive partners, such as the ports of Vigo, La Coruña and Cartagena, Alas Marinas and Turismo de Valencia, and the main cruise line representatives, including AIDA, TUI, Thomson, Azamara, RCCL, Costa, Norwegian and Cunard. This was a great opportunity for CLIA Spain s executive partners to connect with cruise line executives. These are ideal forums to discuss industry matters and fast track relationships with senior leaders. 8

9 CLIA France: Autumn 2014 at the Cruise Colours CLIA France s National Cruise Week, Croisières en Fête!, took place from 6-13 October and 1,300 travel agencies registered to the event. Posters and Window Displays have been created along with online tools such as web banners, mails, and more to download. The operation has been widely promoted in the BtC Media with the most important media plan ever negotiated, valued at more than 600,000. The National Cruise Week has been promoted on the web, radio and press, all communications beginning two weeks before the start of the event. In mid-november, CLIA France also attended the BtB event Top Cruise in Marseille, organised by the Marseille-Provence Cruise Club. 25 cruise brands were represented and about 200 travel agents and more than 300 students were welcomed. CLIA France introduced the cruise industry to a panel of students during some training sessions, as well as to journalists during the Marseille-Provence press conference. CLIA France was also the moderator of a sales conference about the group business, between travel agencies and cruise lines representatives. Netherlands: 17 October Amsterdam media event Cruise Month has been CLIA Netherlands main activity during the last quarter. Held during the month of October, for the first time this year this calendar of activities was carried out in coordination with CLIA s Cruise Week. An advertisement was placed in the country s most popular radio station, Skyradio. The promotion, which included a prize draw for consumers, has been supported by the three largest national newspapers who published a number of articles and information related to the world of cruising during the month. Prior to the main consumer fair event in Amsterdam, which was held in Amsterdam on October, CLIA Netherlands organised a promotional event aboard MSC Magnifica for mainstream and trade media. Tomas Matesanz, CLIA Europe s Director of Communication and Public Affairs and Peter Wild, CEP of GP Wild, informed the press about the developments within CLIA and highlighted the industry s economic impact for the Netherlands. In the afternoon we held a forum with the main cruise industry partners in the country. This forum led to interest of cruise tour operators and specialists to associate with CLIA Netherlands. In 2015 CLIA Netherlands will continue to work on a stronger partnership with these resellers in order to create a broader platform. 9

10 Forthcoming Events and Milestones Seatrade Winter Cruising Forum, Cartagena Spain The 3rd edition of the Seatrade Winter Cruising Forum will be hosted in the city of Cartagena, Spain, from January Tourism authorities, ports and other cruise industry stakeholders will be welcomed to the city by The El Batel Auditorium and Conference centre for the two-days of high-level discussion. As the market for winter cruising continues to flourish, there will be a strong focus on the scope and potential for seasonal cruising in not just the Mediterranean, but around the globe. Marketing for cruising in the winter months and the current demographics will come to focus as the drive for further deployment continues. The principles and practice of preparing for winter calls will come under scrutiny as key industry experts discuss how ports should develop for the winter months and the further issues with seasonality changes confronting them. Further consideration for shorex product developments will be given, leading on to the progression of the selection of winter cruise itineraries. The forum will also feature a dedicated workshop, focussing on both the success stories and the issues confronting the region as it continues to lead the way as a year-round cruise arena. Following tailored conference sessions, the workshop will give regional destinations an opportunity to present their product and services to the cruise lines in one-on-one pre-scheduled meetings. For further information, please visit: Alternatively, contact one of the team: Karen Heasman, Senior Project Manager Nina Marston, Marketing Manager, Cruise Simone Carr, Conference Registration Manager kheasman@seatrade-global.com nmarston@seatrade-global.com scarr@seatrade-global.com January - March 2015 January January The Telegraph Cruise Show, London January Seatrade Winter Cruising Forum, Cartagena (Spain) January Kreuzsfahrt & Shffreisen 2015, Stuttgart 28 January 1 February FITUR International Tourism Trade Fair, Madrid February February Seatec 2015, Carrara (Italy) February Borsa internazionale del turismo 2015, Milan February London Cruise Show, London March March European Shipping Week, Brussels 4-8 March ITB Berlin, Berlin March Cruise Shipping Miami, Miami March Salon Mondial du Tourisme, Paris March Mondo Mare, Padova (Italy) 24 March CLIA UK & Ireland Cruise Journalism Awards, London