The cruise association CLIA UK and Ireland launches on Wednesday May 1 as the two UK trade bodies, the Association of Cruise Experts and the Passenger Shipping Association, merge to create a new national body within the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA).
In December, CLIA announced 11 cruise organisations from around the world had joined together to become part of an integrated structure to serve as the voice of the cruise industry. The global association has been created to provide increased benefits and a unified voice for travel agents, cruise lines 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. Christine Duffy is global president and CEO of the new association. CLIA UK and Ireland will report to CLIA Europe, based in Brussels led by secretary general Robert Ashdown and chairman Manfredi Lefebvre d'Ovidio.
Headquartered in London, CLIA UK and Ireland will focus primarily on travel agency training, marketing and promotion and will be led by Andy Harmer, formerly director of the Association of Cruise Experts. Robert Ashdown will manage government affairs in the UK in close cooperation with the UK Chamber of Shipping. Jo Rzymowska, AVP and general manager UK and Ireland, Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Cruises takes on the role of chair for CLIA UK and Ireland.
The new global association, which has 60 cruise line members, will offer travel agents expanded training, shared marketing and promotional activities, greater support and networking opportunities. For cruise lines, the new structure will mean a single, one-stop global resource on technical and regulatory issues and all the benefits associated with a unified global approach.
CLIA UK and Ireland director Andy Harmer said: "The global cruise industry has seen accelerated growth over recent years. In Europe alone the cruise market doubled to a record 6.2 million passengers in the past eight years. The industry's issues, regulators and stakeholders have also evolved and increasingly span international borders, so it's more important than ever to implement an appropriate global structure.
"The new CLIA structure and our association in the UK and Ireland will support a 'One Industry, One Voice' approach to policy development, advocacy and industry-wide promotional activity," Harmer said. "We are confident that cruise lines, the travel industry and new and existing cruise passengers will all feel the benefits of this new arrangement."
CLIA Europe secretary general Robert Ashdown added "While CLIA UK and Ireland will focus primarily on encouraging more people to cruise, the UK remains a powerful maritime influence in both the International Maritime Organisation and in the European Union. It is vital that the UK understands the importance of cruising to the economies of Europe and works to ensure that the UK, and Europe as a whole, remains a good place in which to do cruise business."
"I want to congratulate the PSA and its directors for their efforts in finalising the establishment of CLIA UK and Ireland, a cruise association representing critically important national markets within the new global structure," said CLIA president and CEO Christine Duffy. "I join with the leaders of CLIA UK and Ireland in ensuring continued, robust growth with the support and efficiencies offered by the CLIA global organisation."
