The Seatrade Europe convention, currently taking place in Hamburg, began with a powerful message to its 600 delegates regarding sustainability and environmental responsibility as key priorities for the industry. The first day of Seatrade Europe focused on sustainability
Mr. Kyriakos Anastassiadis, President of CLIA Europe and CEO of Celestyal Cruises, said, “2017 is on track to be a record year for the cruise industry, with three key priorities that we as cruise companies share collaboratively: One – providing a healthy and safe environment for crew and passengers; Two – being environmentally responsible. We face increased scrutiny and questions about our level of responsibility, so we must be proud of our achievements and communicate them better. We are, after all, at the forefront of incorporating technologies and regulations; Three – we will continue to develop sustainable tourism, adding value to each destination and working with local communities to safeguard the environment while also growing the business.”
In the subsequent conference with nine senior industry executives, there was great optimism regarding the future of cruises in Europe. Despite China overtaking Germany as the world's second-largest source market for cruise passengers, growth is still expected, with the goal of reaching three million passengers by 2020. Both the president of AIDA Cruises and the president of TUI Cruises confirmed the need to continue building ships to expand the market.
Italy, France, and Spain were also identified as markets with growth potential, given their low penetration rates of around 1%. Continuing with the focus on environmental importance, delegates were invited to attend the virtual keel-laying ceremony of the AIDAnova, which will be the first cruise ship powered 100% by LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas). Arnold Donald, CEO of the Carnival Group, attended the ceremony and expressed his delight that his group has seven LNG-based ships on order for construction before 2022.
