Cruise Shipping Asia-Pacific - a conference and trade show focusing on the emerging Asian-Pacific cruise industry - announced today the International Cruise Council Australasia (ICCA) will give its exclusive support to the event.

The ICCA joins Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), which has also pledged exclusive backing, and the Asia Cruise Association (ACA) and the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) as supporters of Cruise Shipping Asia-Pacific 2012, which will be held at the Marina Bay Sands, Singapore on September 17-18, 2012.

ICCA General Manager Brett Jardine said the ICCA was pleased to be supporting UBM Live's Cruise Shipping Asia-Pacific.

"Cruise Shipping Asia- Pacific is important to the industry because it allows cruise industry members from around the world to get together to discuss their needs and opportunities," Mr. Jardine said. "Cruising is booming in Australia and we continue to see more ships based here and visiting our shores. At this year's Cruise Shipping Asia-Pacific event we will be able to reach and educate an entire new demographic about our region."

Mr. Jardine said the Council's latest industry report showed that Australian cruise passenger numbers reached a new high of 623, 294 in 2011.

"This represents a record 34 percent annual increase  the largest recorded by any key world cruise market last year," Mr. Jardine said.

The support of the Council, which represents 27 member cruise lines, underscores the growing importance of the Australasian cruise marketplace in the global cruise industry.

"The ICCA support is vitally important to the Cruise Shipping Asia-Pacific event," said Daniel Read, Portfolio Director of UBM Live's Cruise Shipping Group. "With a 23 percent increase in Australians taking cruise holidays in the last 5 years, it is apparent that the region is a stronghold for the cruise industry. We are delighted to be working with the ICCA to bring even more awareness and education about, and into, the region." 

Along with lending their exclusive support to the event, the ICCA will be debuting travel agent training during the conference.

The ICCA will offer two training modules, each two hours long, to provide tools and techniques for agents from Asia and around the world.  The first module, Introduction to Cruising, will focus on why people like to cruise, how to use brochures and the internet as sales tools, and how to make cruise reservations. The second module, Cruise Holidays Selling Techniques, will highlight the sales distribution channels of the cruise industry and work through the eight steps of the cruise sales process.

To learn more about the education sessions at Cruise Shipping Asia-Pacific please visit www.cruiseshippingevents.com/asia-conference-program.

To register for the Cruise Shipping Asia-Pacific event please visit www.cruiseshippingevents.com/asia-register-now.

For exhibiting information visit: www.cruiseshippingevents.com/asia-exhibitors