By
Figen Ayan |
Although 2021 was a difficult year for the cruise industry, with too many similarities to 2020, ports have shown remarkable skills in how they have adapted to the global health crisis.
As a responsible executive of this industry, MedCruise has always looked towards the future in a positive manner and now, we can allow ourselves to pause, slow down and welcome an optimistic and prosperous 2022.
I was appointed as president of MedCruise in November 2021 and I am honoured to lead the association for the next three years, working alongside its 12 board members to shape the development of the cruise industry in the Mediterranean and adjacent seas.
MedCruise’s strategy for development includes taking a holistic approach towards sustainability, tackling it from a technical, economic, social and environmental perspective over the forthcoming years.
In addition, MedCruise will offer professional development courses and activities to educate members on key industry topics. We will also deepen our collaboration with tour guide, trade and destination authorities to initiate destination development partnerships. For example, we will discuss issues such as the relationships between ports and their cities to ensure we can curate constructive dialogues between the two. Similar communication strategies are already developing throughout the cruise industry. We will also continue to increase our interactions with European Union institutions so that we can collaborate to plan actions that will contribute towards making a positive impact on sustainability.
Diversity is a strength of MedCruise and we work to bring together partners from different regions across our association and the wider cruise industry. We develop activities that strengthen the relationships between our associate members by participating in international events such as Seatrade Cruise Med and organising our biannual MedCruise General Assemblies.
MedCruise also aims to standardise and align health guidelines across the association. We are already in the process of creating a contingency map that includes all the information cruise lines need when they are planning their itineraries in the region.
We also organise and contribute to studies investigating topics such as port tariffs, environmental policies and health and safety, which develops our industry knowledge and shapes our strategies.
Figen Ayan is president of MedCruise
This article was first published in the Spring/Summer 2022 issue of Cruise & Ferry Review. All information was correct at the time of printing, but may since have changed.
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