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More than 30 million passengers are forecast to sail on a cruise ship this year, reported industry trade organization CLIA — Cruise Lines International Association — last week during the 2019 SeaTrade Conference held in Miami Beach. This translates into 30 million potential travel retail shoppers in an environment that could foster a 100% capture rate as well as the chance to make your brand shine as an integral part of the cruise experience.
In this very Special Edition of Travel Markets Insider, we present a look at some of the highlights of the event, including an in-depth report on an Innovation Session that examined the future of onboard sales.
The session featured a panel of prominent industry officials who play key roles in the retail component of the cruise ships they work with: Adrian Pittaway, MSC Cruises; Nadine Heubel, Heinemannn Americas; William Butler, Carnival Cruise Lines; Rene Riedi, Dufry and Ron Goncalves, Starboard Cruise Services, and was moderated by Bill Panoff, president of PPI Group and Editor-in-Chief of Porthole Cruise magazine.
They candidly spoke on topics ranging from technology to analytics, and how these tools can be used to bring brands to life onboard. Coverage begins on page 1.
The trade show welcomed more than 11,000 visitors and hosted a record number of exhibitors as the event returned to the world center of cruising in Miami Beach. The 2019 SeaTrade featured a number of industry firsts and demonstrated that the relevancy of the global event is keeping it strong, even as other trade shows are struggling. TMI’s overview begins on page 4.
Enormous attention has been directed at the emerging Asian market for cruising over the past few years, but one panel debated the merits of a region much closer to our home base – read why the Pacific coast of the Americas could be the next big cruising destination. Page 5.
CLIA released the latest global cruise passenger numbers last week along with some insights of the market trends. Highlights can be found on page 5.