The sector has experienced an extraordinary 2024 and presents its future plans with new sustainable ships and boutique shipping companies.
The cruise industry is sailing at full speed, and will end the year with 34.7 million global passengers, a 17% increase over the 2019 figure. A good example of this is that up to 27 new ships have been ordered from shipyards in 2024.
The stringent legislation on atmospheric emissions that came into force in 2020 resulted in all ships reducing their emissions by 85%. Although recent studies confirm that their impact on air quality in the cities they visit is minimal, shipping companies are waiting for ports to invest in shore-based power supply so they can connect to shore power and shut down their engines, which would help them achieve their goal of net-zero emissions by 2050.
Leading international professionals from the cruise industry will meet on November 12 and 13 in Madridto discuss these and other topics during the fourteenth edition of the International Cruise Summit, the prestigious congress that brings the sector together every year at the Meliá Castilla Hotel.
Over two days, several roundtables and presentations will analyze and discuss the latest trends and challenges in the sector, including new electronic information requirements for entering European borders, port investment priorities, and crisis management. Several new shipping companies will be presented, such as Silenseas, the company behind the legendary Orient Express; Aroya Cruises, the first Arab cruise line; and the Spanish company Alma Cruceros, which will begin operations next year.
Other topics to be covered include the impact of artificial intelligence on the sector, cruise ship charters, and entrepreneurship in this industry, as well as the growing trend of some cruise ships spending the night in port. The health section will address onboard dialysis treatments, which allow hundreds of passengers with kidney failure to travel on cruises.
Senior executives, international cruise line representatives, port authorities, travel agents, and industry experts will be present at one of the world's most important cruise congresses. The event will feature presentations from top cruise line executives such as Andrea Kruse, CEO of VIVA Cruises; Dr. Jorg Rudolph, President of Aroya Cruises; Eithne Williamson, Vice President UK & Europe of Princess Cruises; Leonardo Massa, Vice President Southern Europe of MSC Group's Cruise Division; Birgit Vadlau, Vice President of Hotel Operations at Silversea Cruises; Giles Hawke, Vice President & Managing Director EMEA of Celebrity Cruises; as well as Kelly Craighead, President and CEO of the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA); Simone Maraschi, President of Cruise Europe; and Theodora Riga, President of MedCruise; among others.
Follow cruise news at Cruisesnews.es
