- A new government conference will bring together 26 MPs and cruise and leisure industry leaders next week.
- The first Cruise Industry and Government Forum will explore cruise line issues and prospects.
- On February 22, Tui, Advantage Travel Partnership, and Barrhead Travel president Jacqueline Dobson will attend a closed-door meeting at the Houses of Parliament.
A recent news article published in the Travel Weekly speaks about Cruise leaders’ meeting with 26 MPs at sector’s first parliamentary forum.
The first Cruise Industry and Government Forum
The first Cruise Industry and Government Forum, chaired by Clia UK and Ireland managing director Andy Harmer and the Department for Transport, will discuss potential challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for cruise lines.
The Cruise Industry and Government Forum was announced last December.
Speaking at a Clia event in east London on Monday, Clia chair and Royal Caribbean International EMEA vice-president Ben Bouldin said the association hoped to further develop governmental relationships established during the pandemic.
He said: “The forum is to primarily build on the relationships and agenda items we developed over the course of the last two or three years. It set up the relationships that we now want to nurture.
“It’s a rich agenda that we want to keep front and centre of the government’s minds.”
In addition to the value of the sector to the economy and communities, items on the agenda will include the industry’s journey to carbon neutrality and the provision of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and shore power in UK ports.
Top members at the event
Former maritime minister Robert Courts and current maritime minister Baroness Vere will be among the group of MPs at the event, Bouldin added.
“Baroness Vere is very supportive of our industry, and we’re delighted about that,” he said. “While she is maritime minister, we’re positive that we can continue to have a good relationship with government.”
Harmer also hailed the potential of the forum and stressed it would be a cross-party event with Labour’s shadow maritime minister also in attendance.
He said: “Both [the minister and shadow minister] will be speaking about the importance of the cruise industry to the UK; its overall contribution to the economy; to the inbound tourism sector; and about the value it represents to the coastal communities that we visit.
“They will also talk about the long supply chain that relies on the cruise industry, such as travel agents and hotels.”
He added: “The event is about continuing the momentum that we’ve created over the last few years and building relationships with MPs and government so that when the government is considering tourism policies, investment in infrastructure and border policy, it considers the cruise industry and that we’re an important stakeholder in those decisions.”
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Source: Travel Weekly
