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CLIA sets up German organisation

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 06 March 2013 06 March 2013

Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) today announced the establishment of CLIA Germany at the world’s biggest tourism fair ITB Berlin 2013. The new national association will be headquartered in Hamburg and will be chaired by Michael Ungerer, CEO of AIDA Cruises. This follows CLIA’s 30 January announcement of its expanded resources in Europe with CLIA Germany joining CLIA UK and Ireland and CLIA Netherlands as a part of CLIA’s newly established global structure.

Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio, chairman of CLIA Europe, said: “We are very pleased to announce the establishment of CLIA Germany as part of CLIA’s new worldwide structure,” in his keynote speech, which introduced ITB’s Cruise Panel. “With the establishment of a German national association, the cruise industry can better support its members locally and ensure they benefit from CLIA’s global programmes in the second largest cruise market in Europe, one which has experienced substantial growth in recent years with the number of passengers growing from 1.2 million in 2010 to 1.4 million in 2011, a year-over-year increase of nearly 14 per cent.”

“The establishment of CLIA Germany further expands our presence in Europe, one of the most important markets for the global cruise industry,” said Christine Duffy, president and CEO of CLIA. “With a significantly enhanced presence in Europe the cruise industry has never been better positioned to speak with one global voice.”

CLIA Germany’s leadership council will be led by Ungerer, Michael Zengerle, managing director of MSC Cruises Germany as vice chairman, and Helge Grammerstorf, managing director of SeaConsult, as national director. As part of CLIA’s unified structure, along with German cruise lines, all relevant European regional and global association members will have membership on CLIA Germany’s leadership council. Additionally, ex-officio seats will be provided to German Travel Association, German Shipowners Association, and the CLIA Europe secretary general.

CLIA Germany will be focusing extensive energies on strengthening its relationships with the travel agent community and the German Travel Association. Given this emphasis, Richard Vogel, CEO of TUI Cruises, who also serves as chairman of the German Travel Association’s Cruise Section, will be the cruise industry’s primary liaison to the travel agent community.

About the officers and staff:

Michael Ungerer, CEO AIDA Cruises, has held various positions in the marine tourism and hotel sectors. From 1993 to 1994, he was hotel director on the S/S Norway. He subsequently held executive positions with the Sonesta and Ritz-Carlton hotel chains before he took over the guest services department at AIDA Cruises in February 1997. He studied business management in Innsbruck and at the London Business School, as well as Hotel and Tourism Management at Schloss Klessheim , near Salzburg.

Michael Zengerle, managing director MSC Cruises Germany, started his career in 1990 at the Lufthansa AG in Frankfurt. From 1992 till 2011 he held several management positions in sales and marketing before he became managing director of the Euvia Travel GmbH. In 2002 he joined Norwegian Cruise Line as general manager for the continental European market. Recently he was general manager Europe at NCL till April 2011. In June 2011 Zengerle became managing director MSC Cruises Germany.

Richard J Vogel, CEO TUI Cruises, has been the chief executive of TUI Cruises GmbH since its formation in April 2008. He gained his first experiences in the tourism industry in 1984 in club hotels and after working as the manager of the ITC Club Calimera, he moved to the cruise business. In 1996 he was appointed managing director of Arkona Reisen, where he played a key role in bringing about and marketing the AIDA club ship concept. Richard J Vogel joined the TUI Group on 1 June 2005. In his position as director special projects he developed the strategy for entering the cruise volume segment before subsequently founding TUI Cruises in April 2008.

Helge Grammerstorf, managing director SeaConsult, started his career as an ordinary seaman and assistant officer. Finishing his study with a dissertation about “Financing of Cruise Vessels” and a final degree as captain and certified commercial engineer, he sailed onboard several cargo and passenger vessels in international services. After some years at sea he returned to working at land, following career stages at several shipping companies. Subsequently he was managing partner of Hanseatic Cruises and managing director of Deutsche Seetouristik, Rostock, and Arkona Reisen, Frankfurt, where he worked on introducing the first club vessel AIDA. Since 1997 Grammerstorf is managing owner of SeaConsult HAM GmbH, a consulting and research firm specialised in international cruise business and financing of cruise vessels.

Lindblad buys Orion Expedition Cruises

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 06 March 2013 06 March 2013

Lindblad Expeditions, the US based expedition cruise operator, has announced that Australia's Orion Expedition Cruises would become part of its portfolio, with the move effective for itineraries from March 2014, Cruise Weekly reports in Australia.

Orion founder Sarina Bratton will leave the business when her current contract is completed on 19 April, and she said the move is "both amicable and timely".

Sven Lindblad, president and founder of Lindblad Expeditions, said "Sarina has created something quite wonderful in her nine years at the helm of Orion Expedition Cruises. We respect both her and her team immensely for what they have accomplished. It is our job now to ensure that the Orion travellers continue to receive remarkable travel experiences, both on Orion and our other ships," he said.

Lindblad partners with the National Geographic Society for expedition cruising, and owns five ships: the National Geographic Explorer, the National Geographic Endeavour, the National Geographic Sea Bird, the National Geographic Sea Lion and the National Geographic Islander. The company also charters five ships for seasonal expeditions: the Delfin II, the Lord of the Glens, the Oceanic Discoverer, the Jahan and the Sea Cloud.

"We are extremely excited about the opportunity to offer global expedition cruising to Australians and we intend to bring the full weight of our experience and that of National Geographic to the Orion organisation and the ship," Sven Lindblad said according to the report.

UK 2012 river cruise passenger volume soars 14%

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 04 March 2013 04 March 2013

The number of British passengerstaking a river cruise soared by 14% in 2012 with numbers reaching 130,000, according to new research released today by the Passenger Shipping Association (PSA). This marks a sharp contrast with the ocean cruise market that grew by just 1,000 passengers to 1.701 million.

Britons took a record 90,000 European river cruise holidays, a 12 %increase on 2011. This popularity reflects an ongoing upward trend, with Europe representing 69 per cent share of the market compared to only 50% in 2009.

The overall increase in demand for river holidays was driven by new capacity on European rivers and partly by greater political stability in Egypt. Investment in new tonnage in 2012 was strong with an additional 12 river vessels and 2013 will witness over 30 new itineraries and more new ships including two each for Avalon Waterways and AmaWaterways together with new vessels for CroisiEurope, Lüftner Cruises and Scenic Tours.

According to PSA data, the value of the UK river cruise market in 2012 was £175m. Once again the most popular destination for British river cruises was The Nile, which was booked by nearly 22% of the market and experienced a 12% year-on-year increase in passengers. This was followed closely by the Rhine/Moselle and tributaries (20.7% of bookings) and the Danube (11.6 %). Significant growth was achieved by China and the Far East, which experienced a 38% lift in passengers, up to 5.3% market share in 2012. In total, non-European destinations saw a rise of 19%.

British river cruisers were most motivated by “value for money” in 2012, with 77% citing it as one of the principle reasons for their booking (up from 54% in 2011). The “all-inclusive nature of cruise packages” was the second key factor (referenced by 42% of river cruisers).

Reasons for choosing specific river cruises included the itinerary and destinations (74%) and the duration (21%). British river cruisers were less concerned with using a cruise line with which they had sailed before (22% cited as a factor) compared with their ocean going counterparts (59% of whom highlighted this reason).

River cruisers are less likely than ocean cruisers to take several river holidays a year. Just 14% of the UK’s river cruisers took multiple river holidays in 2012, compared to 49% of ocean going cruisers who booked at least two ocean holidays. Less than a third (31% ) of UK river cruisers had never been on an ocean cruise, with 23% having been on six or more ocean cruises and 30% having been on one or two.

UK ocean cruise passenger count grew by just 1,000 in 2012

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 04 March 2013 04 March 2013

The number of British pasengers that took an ocean cruise grew by 1,000 last year, which brought the total to 1,701,000. “The figure is indicative of the loyalty of cruise passengers, given the challenging nature of the year which opened with the Concordia tragedy and saw the UK economy dip back into recession. Cruise continues to account for one in every eight of all overseas package holidays,” figures from the Passenger Shipping Association (PSA) show.

However, 2012 was a record year for UK cruise ports. Passenger embarkations increased 10% (up to 962,000 in 2012), with 78,000 extra UK and 6,000 additional overseas passengers. The fourth double-digit increase in cruise passenger embarkations in just seven years puts British ports on course to hit the million mark in 2013.

The most substantial increase in capacity has come in the south coast ports of Southampton, Dover and most recently, Portsmouth. The growth in popularity of ex-UK cruises can largely be attributed to the ease of access to the ships for those living in the south.

There was a similar increase in passengers visiting UK ports during their cruises. The 11% increase saw 723,000 passengers visit British ports, double the 2007 figure. The number of UK ports receiving cruise calls also increased to a record 52.

As in previous years the most popular destination was the Mediterranean, which saw 698,000 British passengers visiting the region. However the noticeable trend was increased appetite for cruising to Northern Europe which experienced a 29% upsurge with 443,000 passengers, up from 342,000 the previous year. The increase was fuelled by Britons’ growing taste for Norwegian fjords which saw nearly 200,000 passengers visiting the region (44.5% of the Northern European bookings).

Continued growth was also seen in ‘ultra luxury’ cruising. 1.7% of cruises booked by Britons in 2012 were classified in this sector, which represents an increase of 2,581 passengers and recession-defying year-on-year growth of 10%. Sales of summer ‘ultra luxury’ cruises increased by an even more striking 30%.

In terms of motivation, value for money was the main reason for Britons choosing their last cruise holiday. But when it comes to the appeal of a cruise in general, it’s itinerary and destination that topped the list (cited by 70% of passengers surveyed) for the fourth consecutive year. The number of British passengers who took more than one cruise in 2012 increased by 12 percentage points to 54%. 374,220 Britons – the highest ever - booked three or more cruises within the year, reflecting regular British cruisers’ confidence in the industry’s safety record.

Regional distribution of UK cruise passengers had altered slightly, with an increase in southern passengers. Since 2006 the number of passengers from the southeast had increased 10 percentage points from 14% to 24%. The mix of passengers from outside of England stayed stable, with Scottish passengers constant at 11%; a slight increase in Welsh cruise passengers (from 5% to 6%) and a small drop in the proportion passengers from Northern Ireland (3% to 2%).

Absolute numbers of passengers increased to around 187,000 from Scotland, 102,000 from Wales and 34,000 from Northern Ireland.

PSA director, William Gibbons, said: "The past year was an impressive one for the UK cruise industry, especially in view of the combination of challenges the year presented. The increase in passenger figures bears testament to the value and diversity that cruising represents and the positive experiences that bring passengers back time and time again. We feel 2012’s record results for British ports are particularly remarkable and we very much look forward to seeing UK ports achieve the million mark in 2013, and the associated economic benefits that this will bring to the country."

Andy Harmer to head CLIA UK from 1 May

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 04 March 2013 04 March 2013

Cruise Lines’ International Association (CLIA), the new global cruise association, has today announced that Andy Harmer will take responsibility for its activities in Britain and Ireland. Andy, presently head of the Association of Cruise Experts, will take up the position as director of CLIA UK and Ireland on 1 May 2013.

In December it was announced that the Association of Cruise Experts (ACE) and the Passenger Shipping Association (PSA) were among 10 regional cruise associations which were coming together to serve as the global voice for the cruise industry. CLIA has been created to provide increased benefits and a unified approach for cruise lines, travel agents and business partners – all of whom contribute to an industry that creates nearly $1000 billion in economic impact and more than 753,000 jobs worldwide.

From 1 May, The UK Chamber of Shipping will represent PSA ferry line members, with many ferry companies already belonging to the organisation. Their interests will be represented on the Chamber’s ferry and cruise panel.

Andy Harmer said: “I am delighted to be taking on the role of director for CLIA UK and Ireland at such an exciting time. Our goal is to grow the cruise market in the UK and Ireland by working with our travel agent partners and highlighting, through our consumer media campaigns, the many and varied great reasons for taking a cruise holiday. We will continue to provide effective training, support, national and international events for agents with the new association offering more robust partnership programmes and networking on a broader scale.”

He continued: “Technical and regulatory issues will now be looked after by our colleagues in CLIA Europe who will oversee the activities of the national associations. We look forward to working with them on developing events and communications to create a greater interest in cruise holidays.”

After 19 years as PSA director, Bill Gibbons will be retiring on 1 May. Bill said: “I have seen huge changes since I joined in 1994 as cruise has expanded from what some considered a preserve of the wealthy to a mainstream affordable holiday. Over the same time the ferry sector has seen considerable consolidation but has transformed the quality of the service with investment in new ships and services. The passenger shipping industry should be proud of what it has achieved.” He continued: “The formation of a global cruise association makes total sense for what is now a worldwide industry. We have a strong, dedicated team who will be moving forward with CLIA and I should like to thank all our member lines and associate members for their huge support and commitment over the years.”