By
Rebecca Gibson |
A national organisation has been established in Germany as part of the Cruise Lines International Association’s (CLIA) new global structure.
CLIA Germany will join CLIA Netherlands and CLIA UK and Ireland, increasing the group’s European resources. CLIA Germany’s Leadership Council will be chaired by Michael Ungerer, CEO of AIDA Cruises. Meanwhile Michael Zengerle, managing director of MSC Cruises Germany, will act as vice chairman, and Helge Grammerstorf, managing director of SeaConsult, will assume the role of national director.
“The establishment of CLIA Germany further expands our presence in Europe, one of the most important markets for the global cruise industry,” said Christine Duffy, president and CEO of CLIA. “With a significantly enhanced presence in Europe, the cruise industry has never been better positioned to speak with one global voice.”
All German cruise lines and relevant European regional and global CLIA members will automatically be welcomed to the German Leadership Council, while ex-officio seats will be offered to the German Travel Association, German Shipowners Association and the CLIA Europe secretary general.
CLIA Germany will focus on strengthening its relationships with the German Travel Association. Richard Vogel, CEO of TUI Cruises and chairman of the German Travel Association’s cruise section, will serve as the primary liaison between the two groups.
Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio, chairman of CLIA Europe, added: “With the establishment of a German national association, the cruise industry can better support its members locally and ensure they benefit from CLIA’s global programmes in the second largest cruise market in Europe, one which has experienced substantial growth in recent years with the number of passengers growing from 1.2 million in 2010 to 1.4 million in 2011, a year-over-year increase of nearly 14 per cent.”