By
Alice Chambers |
Behind every unforgettable cruise experience is a network of industry leaders working to deliver smooth operations, reasonable regulations and a sustainable future.
As the new leader of Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), Bud Darr is committed to continuing its mission of advancing the standards and collaboration that keep the cruise industry thriving.
Congratulations on your new role, are you looking forward to the year ahead?
I couldn’t be happier or more honoured to be back at CLIA. The cruise industry is becoming even more fascinating and exciting every day, and I feel like I am exactly where I’m supposed to be. I’m grateful to be entrusted by the CEOs of the major cruise companies to conduct this role on their behalf and help them facilitate an even brighter future for cruise.
What are your priorities as president and CEO?
First, I’d like to build upon the excellent foundation my predecessors have laid for CLIA over the years, and also the work I was involved with between 2010 and 2017 as senior vice president of technical and regulatory affairs.
Second, I want to further unify the global organisation. We need to utilise the CLIA regional groups more to maximise our ability to share resources. I want to ensure that the organisation leverages the best capabilities for its members.
Third, it’s important to look at the broader cruise community and harmonise the interests and activities of suppliers, service providers, travel advisors, ports and destinations. I’d like to bring them together more closely to amplify our collective strength.
How does your previous technical and regulatory role at CLIA support you in your new position?
My previous role dealt with all the substantive maritime policy issues. Most of them haven’t gone away – they’re all very real, even if you don’t hear about them every day. We don’t get extra credit in the cruise industry for being safe and secure, it’s hard and important work that is a top priority.
My previous CLIA experience will be invaluable with the need to focus on the practical aspects of using new fuels to reach the net-zero decarbonisation target the industry is pursuing for 2050. This goal has also been embraced by the International Maritime Organization in its revised 2023 Greenhouse Gas strategy.
What are your plans for helping the cruise industry achieve its sustainability goals?
Decarbonisation is truly an existential issue for all shipping companies – not just the cruise sector. The biggest challenge in decarbonising is the need to build new ships that will run on fuels that don’t exist yet. Shipowners don’t have control over one of the most important parts in the business, which is fuel availability. So, we’re reliant on energy providers because without those new fuels emerging, we’re not going to be able to reach our net-zero target.
At CLIA, we’re working to educate key stakeholders and shape the decisions made by policymakers to facilitate new fuel development and availability at scale. Open, honest and frequent communication between CLIA and energy providers will help to shape both the commercial and policy landscape, so we get the right fuels to market as soon as possible.
A close second for the cruise industry from a sustainability standpoint is managing tourism flows in the communities ships visit. We want to continue bringing vital economic support to these communities in a responsible way, so we will continue working closely with them over time to help manage tourism flows.
What key trends do you expect to see in the cruise industry in 2025 and beyond?
We’re constantly pushing the envelope to meet safety and environmental objectives, as well as delivering experiences that guests really want. This will absolutely continue, with each generation of ship set to be more exciting than the last.
As we move into this next generation of fuels, ships are going to be more energy efficient. Fuel will inevitably take up more volume per unit of stored energy and also become far more expensive than what we’ve customarily seen, so you can expect to see more innovation in this space.
Another trend will be the development of more private destinations and exclusive experiences. They have proven incredibly popular with guests and allow cruise lines to have additional flexibility in their itineraries, help with managing tourism flow, and support local jobs and sourcing. We will continue to see steady, responsible growth, with an increasing number of first-timers and younger travellers as more people discover that cruise is the best vacation value and experience there is.
Discover more insights like this in the Spring/Summer 2025 issue of Cruise & Ferry Review. Don’t miss out – subscribe for FREE and get the next issue delivered straight to your inbox.