The thirteenth edition of the International Cruise Summit, held on November 14 and 15 in Madrid, analyzed the strengths of the cruise industry, which has been fully committed to sustainability for years, addressing such hot topics as the new European immigration regulations, the mental health of crew and passengers on board, and the adaptation of tourism to the LGBTI+ community.
Article from CruisesNews magazine no. 67 – December 2023
ICS 2023 website: www.internationalcruisesummit.com
Photo gallery: ICS 2023
The ICS 2023 was inaugurated by Miguel Ángel Sanz Castedo, general director of Turespaña and Álvaro Rodríguez Dapena, president of Puertos del Estado and was attended by prominent directors and executives from more than 25 cruise lines, ports, tour operators, travel agents, consignees, consultancies and companies in the sector from all over the world.
Cruise lines have been implementing advanced environmental sustainability programs for years, and the focus now is on electrifying docks so that ships can turn off their engines in port and receive electricity from land, something they are committed to with Spanish ports before 2030. Barcelona expects to have electricity supplied to cruise ships by 2026.
Cruise companies are fully committed to using electricity supplied from land to shut down engines in ports where it is available, even if the price of this energy is higher than others.
One of the important reflections that emerged during the first day was that cruises have gained value in their quality/price ratio, since their price update has been much more moderate compared to the large increase in prices for flights and hotels.
The sector is experiencing a resurgence, with expectations of surpassing 2019 passenger figures this year and exceeding them by 20% in 2024. Marie-Caroline Laurent, CLIA's Managing Director for Europe, highlighted that the order book for new ships reflects the diversity of the offering, as of the 67 ships under construction, one-third will be small, one-third medium, and one-third large.
The sector is back in a sweet spot, expecting to surpass the 2019 passenger figures this year, and exceed them by 20% in 2024.
For her part, Figen Ayan, President of MedCruise, highlighted that in one of their studies they found that even the youngest people still trust traditional travel agencies for booking cruises, as it is a product that requires a considerable amount of explanation.
Similarly, Christopher Prelog, President of Windstar Cruises, was interviewed by Virginia López Valiente, CEO of CruisesNews Media Group, and emphasized that travel agents are fundamental for luxury cruises, as this type of client requires precise trip planning. He also confirmed his commitment to Europe and Spain by repositioning a ship in Barcelona after canceling its season in the Middle East due to the conflict in the region, and his commitment to the Canary Islands in 2024.
Continuing with the topic of sustainability, issues such as the purchase of sustainable food using local producers were addressed, although the difficulties involved in supplying a large cruise ship in terms of volume, consistency and quality are notable.
As in previous years, the Master ICS quiz provided many attendees with a chance to relax while others unleashed their competitive spirit to win the coveted prize. The 10 questions demanded both in-depth historical knowledge of the industry and the skill to avoid trick questions, as well as speed in responding. After several changes at the top of the leaderboard, Nuno Tavares Lopes, Director of Medical and Public Health at Carnival Maritime, ultimately took home the prize.
Second Day
The second day began with a session on remote destinations followed by a presentation by Nuno Tavares, the brand-new winner of the ICS Master, on the promotion of mental health on board cruise ships, mainly with regard to crew members, but also passengers.
The session on the European Union's new immigration regulations, presented by Frontex officials, generated considerable interest. The European Union will implement a new European Border and Security System (EES) in the fall of 2024, which will include biometric measurements and fingerprinting for non-EU citizens residing outside the Schengen Area. This will require significant changes to controls at cruise terminals.
In addition, from mid-2025, both passengers and non-European crew members from the 60 countries exempt from applying for a European visa will have to complete an ETIAS travel application (similar to the American ESTA, but simpler), which will cost €7 and must be completed individually.
The dates for ICS 2024 have already been announced, and it will be held on November 12th and 13th at the Meliá Castilla Hotel in Madrid.
Both measures caused great concern among shipping companies and ports, due to the bottlenecks they could create for the arrival of ships making transatlantic routes.
Following this intense session came the presentation by Oriol Pamies, Founder and President of Queer Destinations, aimed at reflecting the needs of the LGBTI+ community regarding the treatment by staff in hotel facilities, and therefore, on cruise ships.
Jessica Wright presented the possibilities of her Peel X software for showcasing destinations with Augmented Reality, while Stuart Byron, Director of Sales for Royal Caribbean International, spent a few minutes detailing the eight neighborhoods aboard the Icon of the Seas. This presentation brought ICS 2023 to a close.
David Selby announced that this edition had been the last in which he served as director and presenter of the event, due to a confluence of personal and professional reasons, thus paving the way for the selection of a new director for next year.
As part of its own sustainability program, CruisesNews Media Group, the event organizer, collected used books for the libraries of the hospital ships of the NGO Mercy Ships, where volunteers from all over the world perform complex operations in third world countries on people without resources, and donated all the congress material to various associations.
Winner of the Master ICS Quiz 2023,
Nuno Tavares Lopes, Director of Medical and Public Health at Carnival Maritime, took home the coveted trophy, sponsored by BilbaoPort, after demonstrating his deep knowledge of the sector throughout the competition.
Follow cruise news at Cruisesnews.es
