Cruise Europe at the International Cruise Summit



Wednesday, December 10, 2014 - 08:51 by ce-press

Chairman Captain Michael McCarthy attended the International Cruise Summit 2014 in Madrid in November and came away with the following points:

*The economic challenges facing the cruiselines, ports and passengers has not gone away with many ports reluctant to invest. It was clearly emphasised that a port is primarily only a vehicle of entry to a region.

*Cunard categorises ports as ‘gold, silver or bronze’, while Royal Caribbean categorises ports in a ‘traffic light system of ‘green, yellow and red’. A green light that the port is approved for calling, yellow means work has commenced with a completion date defined and a red light means not suitable.

*There was a detailed discussion on shore excursions and the requirement of ‘knowing your market’ and the need for a region to ‘create emotion in your town or tour’. Also a customer has to feel they are maximising their experience and are being treated with integrity.

*A final note was a quotation from a cruiseline executive which I found very strategic for a port contemplating a new cruise facility. “Is your new development a reaction to a strategic demand or is it a strategic decision to create a demand?”
Cruise Europe at the International Cruise Summit
Michael McCarthy at the International Cruise Summit 2014 (c) International Cruise Summit 2014





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