- Cooperation between stakeholders is key to maintaining the future of industry in Europe.
The European cruise industry achieved a record in 2014, boosting Europe's economic recoveryby reaching €40.2 billion, a 2% increase over the previous year. However, CLIA Europe has warned that a number of challenges are looming on the horizon that threaten to undermine future growth if urgent action is not taken.
At the opening session of SeatradeEurope – the largest biennial event focused on the European cruise market, taking place this week in Hamburg – Pierfrancesco Vago, President of CLIA Europe, noted that “last year the cruise industry continued to grow and increase its relevance in Europe, generating 350,000 jobs – 10,000 more than the previous year – and leading European industrial production – 29 of the 31 cruise ships scheduled for delivery in 2018 are being built in European shipyards.”.
Pierfrancesco Vago also highlighted that “however, the growth of the cruise industry in Europe has slowed compared to previous years. Although the long-term trend remains positive, the future could be even brighter. We urgently need to address a number of critical limitationsif we want to ensure that the cruise industry continues to be a strong contributor to the European economy.”
Infrastructure, Environment and visas, key areas
During his opening speech, Pierfrancesco Vagoha highlighted some key areas that act as obstacles to further growth in the cruise industry, such as: insufficient development of port infrastructure, uneven application of European Union environmental legislation in European ports, and limitations that prevent more tourists from third countries from arriving in Europe.
Regarding the need to further expand port infrastructure, Vago pointed out:
“Many ports are working to keep pace with the rapid growth of the cruise industry. Investment is needed to upgrade port infrastructure across Europe, which would open new routes and destinations and further boost the industry’s economic impact on land. We also need to ensure that more and more European ports have the appropriate facilities to allow cruise ships to discharge wastewater onshore.”.
Regarding the uneven application of European Union legislation in European ports, Raphael von Heereman, Secretary General of CLIA Europe, stated: “The way certain parts of EU legislation are applied across Europe is like a patchwork quilt, which is affecting our ability to optimize the operational efficiency of our ships. The EU Sulfur Directive is a prime example. While cruise lines are investing in expensive exhaust gas cleaning systems to comply with the Directive, it remains unclear in which ports they will be able to use them. EU Member States must focus on aligning the application of European legislation across all their ports to avoid this confusion.”
Regarding the need to allow a greater number of tourists from third countries to visit Europe, von Heereman continued:
“Europe is one of the world’s most restrictive regions in terms of visa requirements for foreign nationals and, as a result, is losing six million potential tourists every year at a crucial time for economic recovery. The proposed reform of the EU visa code is a vital start to improving tourism flows in Europe. But EU institutions must progressively adopt and implement the new legislation or risk depriving the European Union of even more tourism revenue when it needs it most.”.
Pierfrancesco Vago called on all stakeholders, including cruise operators, ports, authorities and other tourism agents, to continue working together to find solutions to these and other challenges:
CLIA advocates for a multi-stakeholder approach based on consensus, starting with dialogue among all stakeholders. While we face significant challenges, CLIA and the cruise industry are committed to doing whatever it takes to ensure the cruise industry continues to grow sustainably in Europe in the coming years.”.
