Each year, Tarragona in Spain hosts a castell competition, where teams with people of all ages and abilities share their collective strength to build the highest human tower. MedCruise president Figen Ayan drew a parallel between the castells and the more than 154 ports and 57 associate members in the MedCruise Association when opening the 64th MedCruise General Assembly in Tarragona, Spain, in June 2024.
“We all carry universal values such as teamwork, solidarity, self-improvement, the feeling of belonging and the integration of people of all ages, races and social backgrounds,” she said, welcoming almost 200 delegates, which include a record number of cruise executives, port and association members, media representatives and travel experts. “That’s why we decided to prepare this whole programme with events and sessions echoing one mainstream philosophy: inclusiveness.”
Hosted in partnership with Tarragona Cruise Port, the conference kicked off with a ‘Women Power in the Waters’ session, where it was revealed that women make up just two per cent of the 1.25 million seafarers worldwide. Celebrity Cruises’ Kate McCue, who was the first American woman to captain a mega cruise ship, partially attributed this low figure to a lack of visible female representation. She gave an insight into how she uses her social media platform to showcase the “plentiful opportunities” for careers at sea and urged others to join her in dispelling outdated perceptions. “If you can see it, you can be it,” she said. “Women are now across every single onboard department. Gender is not something that is going to limit you, regardless of what your position is onboard the ship.”
Marie-Caroline Laurent, director general of Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) Europe, supported McCue’s plea for increased diversity and representation. “The success of the cruise industry is definitely thanks to the variety of people,” she said, outlining CLIA’s new initiatives to encourage younger generations to consider maritime careers, which include sharing testimonials from employees across the industry and taking students onboard cruise ships.
Ayan joined the panel to reveal that MedCruise has created a dedicated careers page on its website in response to the numerous enquiries from people looking to join the cruise sector.
A later presentation by Edgar Weggelaar, partner and CEO of Queer Destinations, outlined how ports and destinations can actively welcome the LGBTQ+ community.
In another session exploring how ports and destinations can create “harmonious and holistic services”, cruise executives suggested the top priorities should be to ease overcrowding by diverting traffic to lesser-known attractions and developing sustainable shore excursions.
“Big marquee destinations are getting overcrowded, so we’re looking at smaller, off-the-beaten-path destinations,” said Jeff Shieh, manager of deployment planning and analysis at Seabourn. “Guests want to see something a little bit different.”
Christine Manjencic, vice president of destination services operations at Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, noted that the increase in younger passengers has prompted a “big shift” in the type of shore experiences guests want. “People are gravitating to experiences with smaller groups,” she said. Guests also “really love” NCLH’s new sustainability-focused excursions, which include plastic fishing and tours of oyster farms.
The castell competition involves teams with people of all ages and abilities sharing their collective strength to build the highest human tower
Referencing the small anti-cruise protest organised by environmentalists outside the conference venue in Tarragona, Manjencic said it is vital for cruise lines and ports to engage with local communities to alleviate their concerns and “understand what we can do better and what they expect from us”.
Both Francesco Rossiello, senior manager of deployment and itinerary planning at Holland America Line, and Giovanna Dipasquale, Ambassador Cruise Line’s head of itinerary management, advocated for cruise lines and ports to join forces to address issues raised by local communities during the ‘Strategies to Integrate Medium Sized Ports into the Cruise Itinerary’ session.
Rossiello explained why educating locals about the “significant investments” cruise lines are making to reduce emissions could allay their environmental concerns, while Dipasquale emphasised the importance of communicating the socioeconomic benefits of cruising.
Dipasquale also discussed the key attributes cruise lines prioritise when choosing ports for their itineraries, advising them to invest in good infrastructure, accessible facilities, proximity to attractions, shore excursion options to suit all passenger preferences. “Choose your clients and make your port right for them,” she said, cautioning ports against trying to target every type of cruise line.
Fellow panellist and travel entrepreneur Scott Eddy recommended small and medium-sized ports to experiment with using social media to raise their profile, encouraging them to “make employees superstars” and “push out storytelling in a very unique way”.
“A small port could become a huge port if it has the proper digital infrastructure in place and constantly tells stories about the destination,” he said, adding that smaller ports have “way more advantage here” than bigger ports because people are typically unfamiliar with their stories.
Cruise industry expert Stewart Chiron advised ports to invest in promoting themselves rather than relying on cruise lines to do it on their behalf. “It’s imperative to reach out and make yourself known,” he said, adding that smaller ports should also join organisations like MedCruise.
Another session explored whether these small and medium-sized Mediterranean ports could potentially be included in expedition itineraries, seeking perspectives from panellists Spiros Almpertis, vice president of port operations and itinerary planning at Crystal Cruises, Hugues Lamy, director port operations at Swan Hellenic, and Sacha Rougier, vice president of itinerary planning and destination experiences at Orient Express Silenseas.
While all three agreed that the natural, cultural and historical attractions in Mediterranean ports make them an appealing option for expedition cruises, they warned that several factors would make this difficult. Almpertis and Lamy highlighted inconsistent regulations regarding the use of kayaks and Zodiacs for excursions as a key challenge, suggesting that a solution could be to eliminate the use of such equipment and instead focus on excursions that enable guests to meet local communities.
Forming partnerships to help the industry overcome challenges and capitalise on new opportunities was a prominent theme during the event, particularly during the 648 business-to-business meetings, networking events and internal member meetings. During the latter, members voted to establish an Atlantic Isles committee, comprising ports in Lisbon, Madeira, Azores, Leixoes and Portimão in Portugal, as well as Cabo Verde in West Africa, and Cadiz, Tenerife, Huelva and the Canary Islands in Spain. Members also created a new East Med and Red Sea group, which now exists alongside the West Med and the Black Sea and Adriatic groups.
“We are approaching the end of a very active and productive three-year mandate,” said Ayan, noting that one of the biggest achievements is an almost 10 per cent rise in port members and a 50 per cent in associate members over the past two years. “MedCruise and the cruise industry have been propelling us to be together more than ever and be strong reliable supports for each other.”
Tarragona opens a new terminal
The MedCruise General Assembly coincided with inauguration of the new Tarragona Cruise Port, which has a 759-metre berthing line, a 40,000-square-metre esplanade and a 2,200-square-metre terminal equipped with various passenger facilities. The port, which aims to offer shore power in 2026, expects to host 60 calls and around 122,000 passengers in 2024.
“Together, we are not just opening a port; we are opening doors to new possibilities and a brighter future for everyone connected to this beautiful city,” said Mehmet Kutman, chairman and CEO of terminal operator Global Ports Holding.
A taste of Tarragona
Designated as a Unesco World Heritage Site since 2000, the city of Tarragona boasts multiple remnants from its time as a major Roman city, including a circus, amphitheatre and a tower. Visitors can take a walking tour to explore the city, where they will also see medieval buildings. Meanwhile, a short coach trip to the surrounding areas offers opportunities to visit Poblet, one of the world’s largest and most complete Cistercian abbeys.
Cruise guests looking to explore the modernist architecture of renowned architects such as Antonio Gaudí can take a short trip to the nearby city of Reus to visit the Gaudi Centre or see examples of the buildings he has designed in the streets. Another impressive attraction is Casa Navas (pictured), the only example of a Catalan Modernisme building by architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner with its original interiors.
Tarragona is one of the biggest wine and vermouth regions in Catalonia, and travellers will find multiple opportunities to sample the produce for themselves with a tasting session at a locally run business, such as Vermouth Padró.
This article was first published in the Autumn/Winter 2024 issue of Cruise & Ferry Review. All information was correct at the time of printing, but may since have changed. Subscribe for FREE to get the next issue delivered directly to your inbox.