In December 2012, the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) pledged to unite the global cruise industry and shape a safe and prosperous operating environment for member lines, travel agents, key stakeholders and cruise passengers worldwide. More than one year on, CLIA’s new global structure and ‘One Industry, One Voice’ approach to developing and enforcing a universal safety, environmental and regulatory environment seems to be working. Under its new globalised structure, it now represents the industry through 13 regional associations worldwide, while its 63 member lines span four continents – Asia, Australia, Europe and North America – and represent more than 95% of the global cruise capacity.
As more cruise operators seek to deploy vessels and source passengers in new and emerging markets, CLIA’s role in proactively shaping and enforcing key domestic and international regulatory environments on a global level will become increasingly vital. This is especially true for smaller cruise lines and river cruise operators that are attempting to expand their businesses, while remaining compliant with the standards required in different regions.
“Larger cruise ships generally operate in major international waters, which means they are subject to similar restrictions and regulations regardless of where they are sailing,” says Rudi Schreiner, president and co-owner of river cruise operator AmaWaterways, which is part of CLIA’s Specialty Cruise Collection. “In contrast, river cruise operators often sail to a diverse range of countries, which means that we have to contend with multiple laws, regulations and ship construction requirements. For example, operators sailing in places like China do not have to meet the same high passenger and crew safety standards, or strict employment, hygiene and environmental legislation that they would if they were offering European itineraries.”
One standard that cannot be compromised is passenger safety, which has been at the forefront of the industry since the Costa Concordia incident in January 2012. In May 2013, CLIA established the Cruise Industry Passenger Bill of Rights, which consists of ten formally adopted industry practices members must follow to ensure the security and wellbeing of their cruise guests.
“When the Costa Concordia incident occurred, many passengers lost faith in the industry, especially as it struggled to justify why passengers hadn’t been adequately protected,” says Schreiner. “Now that many cruise associations have been unified under the CLIA banner, it will be able to develop strict operational and passenger safety legislation that can be enforced globally. Although it will take time to set up universally applicable standards, CLIA will ensure its members adhere to those policies when they are introduced, thereby assuring passengers that they can expect to remain safe and comfortable throughout their cruise.”
In short, CLIA provides a vital one-stop resource for cruise operators to access the information they need to keep their customers safe and happy.
According to Wesley Bosnic, senior vice president of revenue management and strategic development at Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection, CLIA’s new global structure and extended resources will help its Specialty Cruise Collection members to remain competitive.
“River cruising is expanding at a phenomenal rate and new ships are being launched every year,” he says. “As the sector grows, the ability to tap into the incredible legislative and environmental knowledge and expertise that CLIA has built up over the years will give Uniworld a great advantage.”
Philip Ordever, Crystal Cruises’ vice president of international sales and marketing, agrees, pointing out that the new CLIA structure offers the chance for cruise operators to achieve global success at an autonomous regional level. “CLIA will certainly help Crystal Cruises and other similar companies navigate future legislative, economic and environmental challenges, especially with regard to operational safety and local regulations,” he says. “As a member of CLIA, we are able to leverage the knowledge, resources and support of key figures within the cruise industry, which will help us develop our brand.”
The ability to access additional regional resources will also provide opportunities for river cruise and small-ship operators to partner with local businesses, ports and regional tourist boards.
“Now with the many regional cruise associations that have united under the CLIA banner, Crystal can partner with various local travel businesses and organisations to leverage additional resources, which will help to improve the quality of the services we can provide, both on our ships and at our destinations,” Ordever explains. “In addition, we are able to participate in sales training and marketing activities organised by CLIA in countries we previously had little exposure in. This will help us to further extend the global reach of our brand.”
Testament to the strength of CLIA’s global influence and its members’ reputation for providing secure and enjoyable holidays to passengers, AmaWaterways has already achieved growth in new markets. “North Americans account for a large percentage of our source market, but we also have customers in 40 different countries and we’re starting to see more travellers from the UK, Scandinavia and Asia,” says Schreiner. “It takes a long time for cruise operators to fully establish themselves in new regions, but with the help of CLIA, we are hoping to achieve the same level of success in European, Asian and other markets.”
AmaWaterways is not alone in its quest for growth. While Uniworld’s 18-ship fleet already operates in Europe, Egypt, Russia, China, Vietnam and Cambodia, the company hopes to leverage CLIA’s resources and contact network to expand further.
“Working with the various regional bodies of CLIA Global, river- and small-ship operators can gain quick and easy access to new markets and a greater selection of potential customers,” says Bosnic. “However, the world is becoming smaller every day, so finding the right way to communicate each brand member’s unique benefits and services to specific markets will be very important. CLIA will provide a key opportunity for lines like Uniworld to build brand awareness through joint marketing programmes, social media initiatives and advertising campaigns.”
Through these collaborative marketing programmes and its various conferences, CLIA enables member lines to directly engage with travel agents, port authorities and stakeholders, while increasing consumer interest in small-ship cruising.
This article appeared in the Spring/Summer 2014 edition of International Cruise & Ferry Review. To read the full article, you can subscribe to the magazine in printed or digital formats.