Nine
cruise industry associations today announced they have agreed to
operate under a common organization with a unified structure to serve
as the voice and advocacy leader of the global cruise industry.
The associations are Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA),
European Cruise Council (ECC), Asia Cruise Association (ACA),
Passenger Shipping Association (PSA/ACE), France’s AFCC, Brazil’s
ABREMAR, Northwest and Canada Cruise Association (NWCCA), Alaska
Cruise Association (ACA), and International Cruise Council
Australasia (ICCA). Association members agreed to utilize the
name Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) with the
appropriate geographic designation, and the existing association
offices will remain in place.
The
new association was created to provide increased benefits and a
globally unified voice for cruise lines, travel agents and business
partners – all of whom contribute to an industry that creates
nearly $100 billion in economic impact and more than 753,000 jobs
worldwide. For cruise lines, the new association offers a
one-stop global resource on technical and regulatory issues and
unified global communication and event coordination, all of which
better leverage cruise lines’ investment in association
membership. For travel agents, the new association offers more
robust partnership programs and networking on a broader scale.
CLIA
will be governed by a Global Executive Committee, chaired by Howard
Frank, Vice Chairman, Chief Operating Officer and Member of the
Executive Committee of Carnival Corporation & plc.
Christine Duffy, President and CEO of Cruise Lines International
Association, will serve as the President and CEO of the new
association, leading a team with responsibilities for international
technical and regulatory issues, research, communications, industry
relations and public affairs.
The
CLIA global organization will represent the cruise industry at the
International Maritime Organization based in London, the
International Labour Organization in Geneva and with other
international maritime and shipping organizations around the world.
They will focus on global strategy, international industry issues and
strategic communications. Local and regional matters will
continue to be managed by the regional national associations in North
America, Europe, and Australasia. The new association’s employees
will be located across the globe. Regional and country offices
along with new staff appointments will be the subject of a future
announcement.
Source:
CLIA
