1 9 0 EUROPE: REPORT The Cruise Europe Conference in May 2022 was the biggest industry event ever held in Scotland. Jon Ingleton was on-site in Edinburgh to record the highlights The sky is blue in Edinburgh Over 20 cruise line panellists convened in the Unesco World Heritage city of Edinburgh to share knowledge and advice to aid European ports in their quest to grow cruise calls. In his welcoming remarks, Forth Ports’ chief operating officer Stuart Wallace encouraged delegates to remember the financial motivation for attracting cruise ships during these difficult trading conditions, saying: “It’s estimated that each port call generates £100,000 ($121,000) in economic benefit for the destination.” Optimism, caution and unity were the trilogy of sentiments in the keynote address provided by Sacha Rougier, head of itinerary planning and shore experiences at Explora Journeys. “We have every reason to remain positive, but we should be under no illusion that travel will be the same,” she said, referencing the influence that sustainability will have on future travel choices. “Cruise Europe’s role helps us to maintain fluid dialogue, building a brand requires togetherness,” she added, noting that the Covid-19 pandemic has brought the industry closer than ever before, an outcome that we must maintain. The opening conference session explored strategic planning in an uncertain world, with Crystal Morgan, senior director of deployment planning at Princess Cruises, taking the moment to reflect on the industry’s future. “If the cruise industry is anything it’s resilient,” she said. “Demand still hasn’t reached pre-pandemic levels but that’s going to take time.” Morgan went on to outline four strategic considerations: consumer psyche impacted by Covid, growing the From left, Moderator Nigel Lingard led a discussion on strategic cruise ship deployment planning in an uncertain environment with Carnival UK’s Sander Groothius, Phoenix Reisen’s Michael Schulze, Princess Cruises’ Crystal Morgan and Ambassador Cruise Line’s Chris Coates
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