Madrid, November 30, 2018, Cruises News Media Group (CNMG). The eighth edition of the International Cruise Summit, held on November 27 and 28 in Madrid, surpassed the success of previous events and confirmed the growing importance of this congress and its discussion forums within the industry. Nearly 400 attendees had the opportunity to learn about this constantly growing industry, its opportunities and challenges, alongside top-level executives.
The opening of this new edition was led by Ornella Chacón, President of State Ports, who highlighted the investments made by the Spanish Government and the importance of the cruise sector for thousands of people who work in the ports, Blanca Sauquillo, Deputy Director of Marketing at Turespaña, Marta Blanco, Director General of Tourism of the Community of Madrid, Iván González, Director of Tourist Information of the Madrid City Council and Virginia López Valiente, CEO of Cruises News Media Group.
The speech by David Dingle, president of Carnival UK and CLIA Europe, was not without controversy. In a forceful address on the opportunities and challenges facing the cruise industry over the next five years, the CLIA Europe president expressed his frustration with the lack of understanding of the industry among some authorities. Dingle focused on thorny issues such as passenger taxes, citing two recent examples where he believes a city, in one case, and a government, in the other, are viewing cruise ships "as providers of an easy source of extra revenue," as is the case in Amsterdam and India.
In his speech, he explained that: “Two weeks ago, the city of Amsterdam decided to introduce an €8 per passenger tax on cruise ships that remain in port for 24 hours or less, starting in 2019. With 125,000 passengers transiting the port annually, at approximately €8 per passenger, this will bring in €1 million, which, interestingly, fits perfectly to fill a gap in the city's budget.” If the ships were required to stay longer than 24 hours, the new tax increase would raise the rate to €16 per passenger.
Thus, Gianluca Suprani , Global Head of Port Development and Coastal Activities at MSC Cruises, later confirmed in one of the featured panels that his company had decided to withdraw its calls in Amsterdam next year and instead hold its overnight stays in Rotterdam. “Amsterdam has made its decision, we have made ours . ” In further remarks, Suprani added that, as a result, the city of Amsterdam could lose between 50 and 100 euros per passenger. Meanwhile, in another session that was very well received for its original format, featuring MedCruise President Airam Díaz Pastor, Michael McCarthy, President of Cruise Europe, the port association of which the Port of Amsterdam is a member, described the comments made by the CLIA Europe President as “unfortunate and unjustified.”
The international prestige of the event has made the ICS a field for constructive debate among all industry players and also allowed for the participation of shipping companies in the creation phase and others with their expansion plans.
Communicating effectively the opportunities that cruises generate in destinations, the rise of new cruise lines, the new ships that are coming, the potential in customer experiences and luxury were also key themes of this successful event owned by Cruise News Media Group.
There was also a general consensus that communication between ports, destinations, port associations and shipping companies should be improved, as well as explaining to local communities and the press the benefits of cruise tourism in terms of economics, employment, production and tourism revitalization.
Virginia López, CEO of Cruises News Media Group, interviewed Manfredi Lefebvre d'Ovidio, CEO of the luxury cruise line Silversea Cruises, on stage. Lefebvre d'Ovidio declared his passion for Spain and mentioned that the company is considering investing in the Spanish tourism sector following the sale of 66.6% of Silversea to Royal Caribbean International. He emphasized that "traveling to uncomfortable and unexplored places is wonderful, but traveling to uncomfortable places in a comfortable and luxurious way is priceless, and that's where true luxury lies."
In a stellar presentation, Esther Mallach, partner at the German environmental management firm Arnecke Sibeth Dabelstein, explained how the cruise industry is far ahead of other sectors in environmental responsibility. However, this is not communicated effectively, and even worse, the misconception persists that cruise ships are major polluters.
Finally, and in line with its commitment to raising social awareness, the ICS had the participation of the NGO SOS Méditerranée, which showcased its humanitarian work in the Mediterranean.
This latest edition of the International Cruise Summit also stood out for the multitude of opportunities attendees had to interact with speakers both in round tables and presentations, as well as in networking moments in an atmosphere of constructive dialogue that improves year after year.
