CLIA Announce Agent Initiatives at Annual Conference

Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) unveiled a host of agent initiatives and events at its largest-ever annual UK conference, which took place from 12-14 May 2023 in Southampton. The conference, which was themed ‘cruise heroes’ in recognition of agents’ work across the sector, was attended by over 750 delegates.

The conference included ship visits to MSC Virtuosa, Fred Olsen’s Balmoral, Royal Caribbean International’s Anthem of the Seas, Celebrity Silhouette and P&O Cruises’ Arvia.

65% of delegates attended for the first time, while around a quarter had not been on a cruise ship previously.

As part of the programme, Andy Harmer, managing director UK & Ireland, announced CLIA’s biggest-ever trade engagement campaign over the next 12 months. The ‘superhero-charged’ opportunities include:

• Regional ships visits for agents across the UK and Ireland, which have been arranged in partnership with various cruise lines, in August this year. All visits will include updates from industry leaders, as well as a tour and complimentary lunch.
  • These ship visits include:
    • Seabourn quest on 01 August in Dover
    • Norwegian Dawn on 04 August in Newcastle
    • Holland America Line’s Zuiderdam on 11 August in Belfast
    • Crystal Serenity on 22 August in Southampton
    • Oceania Cruises’ Vista on 25 August in Liverpool

Agents will shortly be able to secure their place via the CLIA website.

• The annual CLIA Cruise Week will be held from September 18-24, where agent initiatives and updates will be made available.

• The River Cruise conference will take place this year on 28 and 29 September 2023 with the venue to be confirmed. Next years’ dates are to be confirmed and will take place in Amsterdam.

• A ‘CLIA Destination Residential’ will be held in Porto, Portugal, in the Autumn, in collaboration with Visit Porto & the North. All delegates will be hosted onboard Norwegian Prima as part of the event, with additional ship visit options to include Seabourn Ovation and a number of river cruise ships. A series of sessions, local tours and excursions with destination experts will be held in Porto.

• Specialist cruise webinars – covering Europe and worldwide river cruise, plus ultra-luxury, expedition and yacht and sail – have been arranged for agents looking to boost their knowledge in these bespoke areas. The webinars will take place in June, September and October; agents can shortly secure their place via the CLIA website.

• Two new expedition dinners, which will be held in London and Manchester on 16 and 18 October, and feature presentations from experts in the sector.

Andy Harmer, CLIA managing director for UK & Ireland, said: “This was our largest ever CLIA Conference, and I’m thrilled to say it proved a huge success. The trade are all ‘cruise heroes’, and with so many new delegates joining us, it’s clear more agents than ever before can see the opportunities and advantages of cruise.

“We’re so excited to announce our superhero-charged programme of events, with the widest ever choice of ship visit openings, domestic and overseas events, and virtual training opportunities. This approach recognises people like to learn, engage and network in different ways.”