W O R L D C R U I S E D E S T I N AT I O N S Spring 2008

VISIONARIES OF THE CARIBBEAN: Hylton talks to fishermen ARISON: Impact of global deployment MITROPOULOS: IMO’s message to European Commission NAYLOR: Cold ironing - solution or red herring? COSTA AT 60: A remarkable transformation EUROPE: Economic impact accelerates by a quarter DICKINSON: 35 years of fun AWARDS: Barcelona hits six

Foreword

W O R L D C R U I S E D E S T I N AT TIONS Spring 2008

VISIONARIES OF THE CARIBBEAN: Hylton talks to fishermen ARISON: Impact of global deployment MITROPOULOS: IMO’s message to European Commission NAYLOR: Cold ironing - solution or red herring? COSTA AT 60: A remarkable transformation EUROPE: Economic impact accelerates by a quarter DICKINSON: 35 years of fun AWARDS: Barcelona hits six

FOREWORD

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he good news is that the industry is at last widening the scope of its analysis. As a consequence we are beginning to have a better understanding of the numbers that hide behind the images of cruise ships sailing the oceans and delivering tourists to their favoured destinations. The second economic impact report for Europe was recently released in Brussels which together with the first editions for Canada and Mexico add another layer of understanding to the global picture, which previously relied solely on the US and Caribbean studies.

Cover image: Gaudio’s La Casa Mila, Barcelona The publishers of Dream World Cruise Destinations, Ashcroft & Associates Ltd, would like to express their sincere thanks and gratitude to the many organisations that have helped in the production of the magazine by supplying articles, reports, facts and figures, information, pictures or provided help in other ways. We have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information but changes occur incessantly. Readers are advised to check that any material facts are still current with the responsible authorities. For information about future issues of Dream World Cruise Destinations please email: email: [email protected] or tel:+44 20 8994 4123 Dream World Cruise Destinations is available annually for £35 (inc. postage). The contents of this publication are protected by copyright. All rights reserved. ISSN 1351-640X. Published by Ashcroft & Associates Ltd PO Box 57940, London W4 5RD, United Kingdom PUBLISHER & EDITOR Chris Ashcroft CONTRIBUTORS Tony Peisley Maria Harding Gilly Ashcroft DESIGN & PRODUCTION RayHeathDesign.com OFFICE MANAGER Lucy Leach PRINTED BY Wyndham Grange Dream World Cruise Destinations is published by Ashcroft & Associates Ltd, and distributed in the USA by DSW, 75 Aberdeen Rd, Emigsville, PA 17318-0437. Periodicals postage paid at Manchester, PA and additional mailing offices. Postmaster send address changes to Dream World Cruise Destinations, c/o PO Box 437, Emigsville, PA 17318-0437.

Impressive though the statistics are for Europe and elsewhere, the impact of growth on the environment is the issue that seems to have lodged itself firmly in the mind. There aren’t any industry sectors immune from the legislative and regulatory momentum that currently exists. And the theme David Dingle, CEO Carnival UK and Chairman, European Cruise Council, carried into the second cruise industry conference held in Brussels on 26 February, which we organised, was: Europe – the new centre of gravity of the cruise industry. One part of the theme refers to the increasing influence of Europe as a regulatory centre. In this edition it has not been possible to carry a full report on the event but I have been able to publish a shortened version of the economic impact report and the message, read out on film, of Efthimios Mitropoulos, SecretaryGeneral, International Maritime Organisation, in which he stresses the need for global solutions to the challenges of the shipping industry. Cold ironing was another topic discussed at the conference but in this edition it is Philip Naylor, General Manger, Fleet Operations at Carnival UK who has answered my question on cold ironing: Emissions solution or red herring? There are a number of Visionaries in the Caribbean and this is the subject of a new regular feature. Noel Hylton, president of the Port Authority of Jamaica, is the first to describe how he delivers major projects on time and under budget, in an article I have titled ‘Talking to Fishermen’. On the occasion of Costa Crociere’s diamond anniversary I visited their Genoa headquarters to report on the company’s fascinating journey. Micky Arison warns the Caribbean of the implications of a developing global industry and Bob Dickinson looks back at his career at Carnival Cruise Lines now that he has retired. Enjoy the read,

Chris Ashcroft, Publisher & Editor

Spring 2008 Dream World Cruise Destinations 1

Contents

31 Quintessential ingredients

1

Foreword MAKING A SPLASH

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Cruise, port and destination news VISIONARIES OF THE CARIBBEAN

16 Talking to fishermen Noel Hylton, President, Port Authority of Jamaica EUROPEAN CRUISE INDUSTRY CONFERENCE, BRUSSELS

18 Contribution of Cruise Tourism to the economies of Europe An abbreviated summary by Peter Wild, Managing director, G. P. Wild (International) Limited and Andrew Moody, president, Business Research and Economic Advisors 20 Address by Efthimios E. Mitropoulos, Secretary-General, International Maritime Organization to the European Cruise Industry, Brussels, 26 February 2008 PORT ISSUE

24 Cold ironing: Emissions solution or red herring Carnival UK’s General Manager Fleet Operations, Philip Naylor casts some much needed light on the increasingly opaque issue of shore power for ships ITINERARY DEVELOPMENT

31 Quintessential ingredients By Simon Douwes and Timothy Littley, Holland America Line PORTS

36 Opportunity for new ports? By Tony Peisley TRAVEL AGENTS

40 Cruise training for travel agents By Maria Harding EXECUTIVE COMMENTARY

45 Luxury goes exploring By Mark Conroy, President, Regent Seven Seas Cruises 47 Holland America Line continues to evolve in 2008 By Stein Kruse, President and Chief Executive Officer, Holland America Line 49 The renaissance of the Golden Age of ocean liner travel continues... By Carol Marlow, President and Managing Director, Cunard Line

61 Costa: Celebrating 60 years

51 The expanding world of Seabourn By Pamela C. Conover, President & Chief Executive Officer, Seabourn Cruise Line 53 After an eight year absence Thomson is returning to the Caribbean By David Selby, Managing Director, Thomson Cruises 57 Looking back on 35 years of fun By Bob Dickinson, Retired President, Carnival Cruise Lines COSTA AT 60

61 Costa celebrates 60 Years 62 The remarkable transformation of a family company into a global cruise brand carrying over one million passengers a year As Costa marks its diamond anniversary Chris Ashcroft visits their Genoa headquarters to catch up with six executives, with 200 years service between them, to find their enthusiasm and passion undiminished 65 As Costa celebrates its 60 years in passenger shipping, Pier Luigi Foschi looks back on his ten years at the helm 66 Mario Martini, Senior Vice President Sales and Marketing, Europe and Rest of the World 68 Antonio De Rosa, Vice President Cruise Operations 70 Walter German, Product Director 73 Mario Minuto, Director Hotel Operations 75 Paolo Parodi, Technical Operations Director 77 Victor Fordred, Vice President Fleet Deployment and Itineraries 80 Gianni Onorato, President As Costa Crociere continues to introduce its style of cruising to global markets Gianni Onorato is far from complacent DREAM WORLD CRUISE DESTINATIONS 2007 AWARDS

85 2007 Awards Introduction 86 Winners and Commendations CARIBBEAN PORTS

94 Regional Reports Caribbean Ports By Tony Peisley

85 Awards: Barcelona triumphant FCCA CONFERENCE, COZUMEL

98 Cozumel: The land of the swallows By Gilly Ashcroft 101 Arison warns of globalisation By Micky Arison, chairman and chief executive officer Carnival Corporation & plc and chairman FCCA 102 Micky Arison, Michele Paige and Rick Sasso meet the exhibitors 104 Bartlett voices great ambitions for Jamaica 106 St. Thomas set to join the 2 million Club states Edward Thomas, President & CEO, The West Indian Company 107 Puerto Rico Terestella Gonzalez Denton, Director, Puerto Rico Tourism Company 108 Richard Skerritt explains to Chris Ashcroft the background to the development of cruise tourism to St. Kitts and how the latest project will impact on the visitor experience 109 An oasis of calm By Gilly Ashcroft CARIBBEAN DESTINATIONS

96 Guadeloupe 110 Grenada: The ‘Spice Isle’ of the Caribbean 112 St. Vincent and the Grenadines: The Caribbean’s most diverse destination REGIONAL REPORTS By Tony Peisley 114 The Baltic: The world’s fastest growing cruise destination 115 Norway 116 North America 120 Mediterranean 122 Continental Europe and the North Atlantic 123 UK and Ireland NEW SHIP REVIEW

124 Queen Victoria By Tony Peisley LAST WORD

128 New brands: Germany and France Susan Hooper discusses with Chris Ashcroft the development of new brands for RCCL in Europe

Spring 2008 Dream World Cruise Destinations 3

Making a splash

Making a Cruise, port and destination news

SAS launch Cruise Coordination Group

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erje Thoresen, Director, Incoming Sales & Promotion at Scandinavian Airlines, confirmed the company’s continued commitment to the cruise market with the launch of The SAS Cruise Coordination Group with representatives from all relevant departments within the company. “We are doing this in order to improve our handling of cruise passengers and to increase efficiency towards the cruise operators” said Thoresen adding

that “Copenhagen and Stockholm are important turnaround ports for Northern European cruises and the most important gateways for SAS. That’s why it’s natural for us to be an active member in the Copenhagen and Stockholm Cruise Networks as well as being a commercial partner in The Cruise Baltic Project. It is of highest importance to growth that the ports and destinations continue to develop and improve infrastructures

and products. One good example is dedicated cruise terminals with airline checkin facilities. This will secure smooth and efficient passenger and baggage handling, something that definitely has high priority in SAS. We are pleased to see an increase in the number of calls as well as the deployment of larger ships. This means more cruise passengers and consequently more business for us.”

Cruise Europe North brings together Norway, Iceland and Faroes

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new cruise network named Cruise Europe North has been established to market the destinations of The Farao Islands, Iceland and Norway and to strive to coordinate services and develop

product in a similar way to that set up by Cruise Baltic. The coastal waters of the North Atlantic is considered an oasis of calm where it is possible to get away from it all in an environment of fresh air clean

water, bright days and white nights. The seas of the region has a rich tradition with an ancient history dating back to Viking times. Their slogan is: Cruise Europe North - The Natural Alternative.

Amsterdam expects a huge hike in calls this year

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assenger Terminal Amsterdam is forecasting 52% growth in ship calls to the city in 2008 with turnaround calls increasing by 70% to 58. Cruiselines home-porting in Amsterdam are Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Costa Crociere, Holland America Line and MSC Cruises. Amsterdam Central train station is a 10 minute walk from the terminal

4 Dream World Cruise Destinations Spring 2008

and has frequent connections to Schiphol Airport and over fifty major international train destinations. Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is 20 minutes by car or train. The airport has direct links to some 250 cities across the world, making it one of Europe’s key airports. And in 2006, the interconnected 4-star Moevenpick hotel opened the doors offering 408 deluxe rooms. Based on these

projections passenger numbers will be around 210,000.

Making a splash

New training school for Costa in Indonesia

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osta Cruises has inaugurated a hotel training school in Jakarta, Indonesia. The facility is run in collaboration with Meranti Magsaysay Institute. The school will prepare Costa personnel for the restaurant, housekeeping, galley and bar areas. Approximately 1,300 new hires a year are expected to attend, most from local hotel training schools. As a result, the number of Indonesian personnel working on Costa ships is likely to rise to 2,500 this year.

RCCL’s 11th annual G.I.V.E. Day

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ver 1,000 volunteers associated with Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. spent a day painting and landscaping a South Florida community as part of the company’s 11th annual “Get Involved Volunteer Everywhere” Day. This initiative brings together Royal Caribbean employees, their families, friends, vendors and business partners to assist non-profit organisations to improve the quality of life in their local communities. The target this time: the 18-building, 116-unit Town Park Plaza South community in Miami.

Foschi named as a member of Club 33

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ier Luigi Foschi, Chairman and CEO Costa Crociere, has been listed in “Club 33”, the list of the 33 most influencial executives in global travel published by American Travel Weekly magazine. Members of this exclsusive club are assessed by how much influence their actions have on travel habits.

European Cruise Acadeny formed by AIDA Cruises

Skjolden for free!

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here will be no harbour dues to pay for visits to the Port of Skjolden, Sognefjord, Norway during 2008 and 2009. At least there will not be any harbour dues, just a small passenger landing fee. Skjolden’s cruise terminal and pier will be completed and ready for use in time for the 2010 season.

Regent Seven Seas Cruises introduces tour headphones

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egent Seven Seas Cruises is introducing a headphone system allowing guests participating in shore excursions and land tours to hear their guides clearly and effectively even when they are separated from them which can happen at busy tourism sites. The system will be used where noise levels can drown out lecturers and guides or at places, like religious landmarks, where loud conversation is forbidden. Guests wear individual lightweight headsets and this enables guides to provide facts, information and opinion unimpeded.

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IDA Cruises has announced the formation of the European Cruise Academy (ECA) to be based in Rostock, Germany to provide training for a new generation of employees and executives for the cruise industry. The focus of the ECA will be on the nautical-technical area on board a cruise ship. Initially, the academy offers up to a Masters degree course with the first course scheduled to begin on 1st September 2008, in line with the beginning of the new academic year. The Bachelor of Arts degrees will cover the nautical, technical and elecro-technical disciplines. The courses are being prepared in cooperation with the University of Technology, Business and Design in Wismar, Germany and as lectures will be taught in English, its appeal should be global.

Caught on camera

007 welcomes Queen Victoria to Copenhagen At the key and plaque ceremony for Queen Victoria’s inaugural call at the port of Copenhagen were from left to right: Port Captain Soren Andersen, Roger Moore, Per Schmidt, General Manager Copenhagen Malmo port, Capt. Paul Wright, Cunard Line and UK Ambassador Sir David Frost.

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Making a splash

Q Cape Town stirs Cape Town is to be spruced up as part of a project to re-establish the city as one of the great passenger liner destinations of the world by promoting itself and the Southern African region as a base for destination cruises.

Q First Appearance of AIDAbella The early morning of 24 February saw AIDAbella make her first appearance as she was moved to the fitting out quay of the Meyer shipyard for the finishing touches to be completed prior to the christening, by model Eva Padberg, in Rostock-Warnemuende on 23 April.

Q Three P&O ships to visit Australia P&O Cruises’ Arcadia is set to sail to Australia for the first time in 2009 along with her sister ships Oriana and Aurora. The three ships are due to visit the Australian ports of Perth, Albany, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and the Whitsundays as part of a programme that takes them to 71 destinations early next year.

Bilbao’s city centre regeneration project wins European Enterprise Awards 2007 Grand Jury prize

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n a pioneering approach to city centre regeneration, Bilbao has helped set up 129 small companies creating 270 jobs in leisure, arts, culture, fashion and technology. The project Spanish municipal development company Lan Ekintza-Bilbao won the 2007 European Enterprise Awards Grand Jury’s Prize at the official ceremony in Porto at the end of last year. The high level jury representing business representatives and academics selected the project not only for its impressive results but also because it offers an excellent and sustainable model for urban regeneration, a challenge facing many

European cities. The prizes were presented by Günter Verheugen, Vice-President of the European Commission and responsible for Enterprise and Industry, who said: “The highly innovative nature of this year’s award winners shows the crucial role that local and regional public authorities across Europe can play in promoting entrepreneurship and helping to create a favourable business environment”. environment .

With the worldwide release of its new 2009 brochure Costa Crociere reveals its new itineraries

Q Miami terminals Carnival Cruise Lines (CCL) has now moved into its new cruise terminals at the Port of Miami. Built at a cost of US $80m Terminals D and E are now being used by all Carnival ships sailing out of the Port of Miami. Each terminal has the capacity to handle 4,000 passengers and features 105,000 sq.ft of air-conditioned space, with additional areas for baggage loading/unloading and check-in. In the meanwhile Termnals B and C are being refurbished for NCL and in addition an agreement has been reached for a new Terminal to be built for their F3 class ships.

Q P&O Cruises enhances shoreside options New shore excursions have been added by P&O Cruises to include an evening concert and after hours visit to the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, a salmon safari in Stavanger, as well as specially designed family tours. 6 Dream World Cruise Destinations Spring 2008

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osta Cruises will be increasing its capacity in 2009 by 12% compared to this year, through the introduction, in April and May, of Costa Luminosa (guest capacity of 2828) and Costa Pacifica (guest capacity of 3780) expanding the fleet to 14 ships. In all the company will offer more than 100 different itineraries with around 250 destinations being visited. Costa Cruises will be the first operator to offer a transatlantic cruise from Italy to Argentina and up the Amazon River as far as Manaus. Another first for the company will be a series of New England and Canada cruises calling at Quebec, Boston, Newport and New York. There are also innovations in the Mediterranean, with two new itineraries featuring two day stopovers

in Istanbul and Lisbon. Costa also has new ports of call at Capri, the Isle of Elba and St. Tropez, as well as additional cruise routes in Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia. In the Far East Costa Classica joins Costa Allegra to boost capacity in that region while Costa Victoria sails alongside Costa Classica to increase capacity by 50% in their Dubai programme. In addition, Costa Europa will be deployed to Mauritius to double capacity in the Indian Ocean. Costa will also be boosting its presence both in Northern Europe, where for the first time some five ships will be operating, and in South America, where three ships will be based.

Making a splash

Port of Malaga inaugurates new berth and terminal

Caught on camera

Lu Haihan, Chairman, Shanghai International Port Group

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resident of the Regional Government of Andalucia, Mr. Manuel Chaves, and the Minister of Public Works of the Central Government, Ms. Magdalena Álvarez attended the inauguration of the new south berth and Eastern Passenger Terminal which has completed its first phase at the Port of Málaga. The South berth has 12 metres of draught and an investment of 11.2 million euros. The 15.7 million euros terminal project has a simple structure to facilitate efficient operations inside

the building to ensure that the space can manage the requirements of passengers embarking and disembarking from even the largest cruise ships. The first phase of this new terminal has a total area of 8,970 sqm with lobbies, luggage and handling departments, operator offices, controls, as well as toilets and a changing room. Cruceros Málaga S.A. has been formed to operate the new facility, this is an agreement between the port and Creuers del Port de Barcelona. Over 290,000 passengers visited Malaga last year, nearly 30% up on 2006.

Zarmati to fill the shoes of Torrent at Costa, North America

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aurice Zarmati, currently vice president of sales for Carnival Cruise Lines (CCL), has been named president and chief executive officer of Costa Cruise Lines, North America to replace Lynn Torrent who recently moved in the other direction to take up the post of Senior Vice President Sales and Guest Services at CCL. Zarmati has been with Carnival Cruise Lines since 1972, leading one of the most successful sales teams in North America. He will report to Gianni Onorato, president of Costa Crociere, when he takes up his position at the end of March. His responsibilities include all sales and marketing activity for Costa’s North and Central American regions and this covers sales development, marketing, revenue management, finance, human resources and passenger services.

Palma, Mallorca joins the 1 million club

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he ports managed by the port Authority of the Balearic Islands reached one million passengers in 2005, but last year the Port of Palma alone reached that figure. In line with this achievement and the ever increasing number of turnaround calls the port authority has enhanced berthing faciliteis and capacity over the years. Now the port authority has announced the construction of a new pier to provide further berthing options for two large cruise ships.

Europa continues its golfing success

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even Golf & Cruise itineraries have been included in Europa’s 2008 season with the opportunity to play golf at the most beautiful greens in the world. PGA golf professionals are on hand to provide advice and expert tuition. The Europa has its own indoor and outdoor park on the sports deck as well as a golf simulator with 21 of the best courses in the world available. There are two itineraries where German and English spoken on board include nine days sailing the Baltic Sea to golf courses in Stockholm, Helsinki and Copenhagen and Riga. The second itinerary begins sails from Port Louis to Cape Town including a call at Reunion.

Spring 2008 Dream World Cruise Destinations

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Hop of f at Harwich The heart of Constable Country Harwich is a charming seafaring town with some fine architecture and museums, while other local attractions include the beautiful landscapes of Constable Country, Roman Colchester, the Imperial War Museum at Duxford, the ancient wool town of Lavenham and the historic university city of Cambridge. Just 70 miles from London, Harwich International Port is the perfect cruise location for either a full turnaround or a port of call. Providing over one million passengers per year with excellent service, the port has its own railway station and offers easy access to main road routes and airports. For free information on suggested itineraries, shore excursions, accommodation and other places to explore in the region visit the Haven Gateway Cruise website:

www.havencruise.com

Harwich International Port

Making a splash

Norway forecasts a 14% increase in passenger numbers this year

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ruise Norway report passenger numbers up by 6.7% in 2007 compared with 2006 from a marginally reduced number of calls. Bergen retains its top position with 231 calls followed by Geiranger with 144, Oslo with 138, and Flåm and North Cape with 128 and 100 calls respectively. All other cruise destinations had less than 100 calls. It is worth noting that the ships visiting Oslo carry on average 540 more passengers than those visiting Bergen. Since the pattern shows the number of calls gradually reducing but the number of passengers increasing this is likely to impact on rankings in 2008. In 2007 the number of passengers increased from 1,179,714 to 1,260,437 with the top 15 destinations (detailed) accounting for 93% of the market. Cruise Norway’s forecast for 2008, measured by the number of cruise calls, is 1,438.

Port Bergen Geiranger Flåm Oslo Eidfjord North Cape Tromsø Leknes/Svolvær Olden/Nordfjord Ålesund Trondheim Stavanger Kristiansand Åndalsnes Molde Total

2006 218 185 139 693 115 342 206 233 43 034 74 897 55 821 34 590 53 060 41 821 31 326 62 128 38 000 20 554 11 750 1 146 434

2007 198 919 136 364 120 756 191 724 46 115 66 455 60 460 35 356 40 900 57 420 39 887 69 192 52 000 25 000 22 042 1 171 135

RCCL in Asia

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Caught on camera

Albert Poggio, MBE and Captain Brand of Port of Gibraltar

Princess Cruises plans its most extensive European deployment

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n 2009 Ruby Princess and Tahitian Princess make their first appearances in Europe during a season that features six ships, nine new itineraries and 11 new ports. Ruby Princess, which enters service late this year, will offer Mediterranean and Greek Isles cruises in 2009, while the 670-passenger Tahitian Princess will provide new routes including a series of 18-day mid-summer ‘Top of the World’ itineraries between New York and London that feature Iceland and Greenland. In addition to the Ruby Princess and Tahitian Princess, Emerald Princess will take over the line’s Scandinavia and Russia deployment, and Crown Princess will sail to Northern

he maiden season of Rhapsody of the Seas in Asia together with the return to Asia of Legend of the Seas towards the end of the year is another sign of the global nature of cruising today. Legend of the Seas will offer 25 sailings along with four extended repositioning cruises. Singapore; Bangkok (Laem Chabang),Thailand; Sihanoukville, Cambodia; Ho Chi Minh City (Vung Tau), Vietnam; Nha Trang, Vietnam; Hue/Danang (Chan May Port), Vietnam; Sanya, China; Hong Kong, China; Xiamen, China; and Shanghai, China are on the roster of ports being used on this deployment.

Europe, the British Isles and the Mediterranean. Grand Princess will cruise to the Mediterranean from the UK as well as to the Greek Isles and Egypt, and Royal Princess will embark on journeys to the Holy Land, Mediterranean and Black Sea. The 11 new ports include Sochi, Russia, home to the 2014 Olympics; Murmansk, Russia; Luleå, Sweden; Mariehamn, Finland; Klaipeda, Lithuania; Barrow, for visits to England’s Lake District; Seydisfjordur and Grundarfjordur, Iceland; Kristiansand, Norway; Ceuta, an autonomous Spanish city in Morocco; and St. Pierre et Miquelon off the coast of Newfoundland in Canada.

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Shore Shhoore Sho re Excusions Exxcusiions EExc ns

Kalundborg: one port, many destinations

The centre of Denmark On the west coast of Zealand at the Great Belt, close by the entrance to the Baltic from the North Sea, you’ll find Kalundborg.

A PEAK INTO THE TRUE DENMARK Kalundborg offers a charming smalltown experience with a number of local attractions and areas of natural beauty all within a short drive from the port. In essence Kalundborg offers a peak into the true Denmark; the hospitable, friendly and warm atmosphere will charm your cruise guests - after they have visited hectic and busy capitals – by providing a complete contrast that will bring the whole cruise into perspective. Here they will have the opportunity to enjoy beautiful gardens, local museums, working artists, handicraft and the flea market in the morning followed by shopping in Kalundborg’s numerous specialist shops - with everything from hot design items to quality chocolate - and finish off the afternoon with a nice cup of coffee and a Danish in the local cafés. There is also plenty to do for those seeking outdoor activities such as enjoying an 18-hole round of golf, bike riding, sailing, kayaking or horse back riding. Special events can be arranged – from renaissance meals to sing-a-long afternoons, folk dancing – and much more. SAVE MONEY, SAVE 230 NAUTICAL MILES AND 12 HOURS OF STEAMING TIME Coming from the Baltic going to the North Sea or vice versa, a call to Kalundborg enables cruise lines to offer 10

Spring 2008 Dream World Cruise Destinations

their guests Copenhagen and at the same time save 230 nautical miles and 12 hours of steaming time and great sales of tour and shore excursions. OVER 65% TAKE UP OF TOURS TO COPENHAGEN, ROSKILDE AND ODENSE Sales of shore excursions to these cities generates over 65% take up amongst passengers. Situated in the centre of Denmark – approximately 1 ½ hours drive from Copenhagen, and Odense with the Funen Village, H.C. Andersen’s house and all its beautiful castles - Kalundborg offers a wide palette of opportunities for the cruise guests. The Viking museum and the Royal Cathedral of Roskilde is just a one hour drive from Kalundborg. More than 30 well-educated guides assist with these tours and see to it that your passengers receive an enjoyable time ashore from the moment they get on the coach until return to the ship. 68 MILES – 1½ HOURS DRIVE FROM COPENHAGEN AIRPORT Port of Kalundborg is ideally located for turn-arounds. As an alternative to Copenhagen - Kalundborg offers a pier area of 8000 m2, 1200m2 temporary facilities and the possibility of up to 2000m2 warehouse for luggage handling. Moreover there is space for 20 coaches at a time to make the operation run

smoothly. Port of Kalundborg can accommodate turnarounds from cruise vessels with up to 1500 passengers. Hotels in Copenhagen can be used for pre- and post stays and tours can be arranged in Copenhagen, Roskilde or Kalundborg. 

1 km from village centre 110 km from Copenhagen 115 nautical miles from Copenhagen 330 meters cruise pier 10 meters water depth Complimentary shuttle service Free internet access in the tourist information Tourist information tent on the pier Entertainment on the pier More information on www.cruisekalundborg.dk and www.portofkalundborg.dk

Making a splash

Leading cruise lines, shipyards and classification societies create Forum to advance passenger ship safety initiatives

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he first meeting of the newly formed Cruise Ship Safety Forum (CSSF) has occurred in London under the coordination of Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA). The Forum is a consortium of cruise ship operators, ship yards, classification societies and CLIA to advance cruise ship safety in a coordinated and focused manner. “Instead of each entity working on the same issues separately, we believe the strength lies in working together and anticipating the operational and technical issues that make these ships both beautiful and safe.” said Terry Dale, CLIA’s president and CEO. The Forum’s purpose is threefold: 1. To develop strategic direction for advancing cruise ship safety issues in their broadest sense; 2. To proactively address issues as they relate to the future of the industry, as they pertain to the design and construction of new passenger ships and modification of existing cruise ships; and 3. To provide a forum to consider regulatory and other safety

initiatives and develop a coordinated response to external bodies such as the International Maritime Organization (IMO). As part of its initial work, CSSF will be focusing on an initiative of the IMO known as “safe return to port” regarding the design and operation of a passenger ship to allow it to safely return to port in the event of a major accident or incident. The Forum’s activities will be guided by a steering committee comprised of senior executives from the three major cruise lines: Carnival Corporation & plc, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. and Norwegian Cruise Line; shipyards: Aker Yards, Meyer Werft and Fincantieri; and classification societies: DNV, Lloyd’s Register and RINA; and CLIA. The chairman of the Forum is Tom Allan, the former director of the Safety and Standards Division of the United Kingdom’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency, Department for Transport. CSSF is expected to meet at least three times each year.

Fred. Olsen rolls out partnership with MCP

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red. Olsens’ Braemar was used to test the GSM and SMS services offered by Maritime Communications Partner AC (MCP) from October 2006. Following a highly successful test the services offered by the network are now available on the other three ships in the fleet – Boudicca, Black Watch and Black Prince – and is now available on Balmoral, the fifth Fred. Olsen ship which joined the fleet this past January. This service allows passengers and crew to make calls from the ship on their own mobile telephones, working seamlessly through MCP’s network, and keeping in touch with friends and family at home at a reasonable rate. The next stage will be to offer the ability to send picture messages and browse the web from mobile phones using the MCP network.

Celebrity set to launch glassblowing on board Solstice

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Caught on camera

The Port of Ajaccio, South Corsica is on schedule to complete its new cruise pier by the end of 2008. The pier, which will be 280 meters in length, 20 metres wide and with a minimum draft of 10 metres, is dedicated to the cruise market.

elebrity has formed an alliance with the Corning Museum of Glass to bring the art of glassblowing to sea when the Museum will put on live demonstrations and a narrated performance of glassblowing on board Celebrity’s new Solstice when it enters service next December. The “Hot Glass Show” as it is named will be located on the ship’s upper deck within a custom-designed, outdoor glassmaking studio. Three resident “gaffers”, highly skilled glassblowing artists, will put on live glassmaking shows, lectures and workshops. Following several weeks of inaugural activities, Celebrity Solstice will make its maiden voyage 14 December on a seven-night Eastern Caribbean itinerary from Fort Lauderdale calling at San Juan, Puerto Rico; Basseterre, St. Kitts; and Phillipsburg, St. Maarten with an alternating itinerary to San Juan, Puerto Rico; Phillipsburg, St. Maarten; Tortola, British Virgin Islands and Labadee, Haiti.

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Making a splash

Q NCL appoints two new senior executives

Tenerife extends its terminal

NCL has announced the appointment of two senior executives to its management team. Kevin Sheehan has joined as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, and Gregory Hunt has filled the newly created position of Executive Vice President Strategic and Commercial Development. Both executives will report to NCL President and Chief Executive Officer Colin Veitch.

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he new check in/check out facilities at the Port of Tenerife for the Aidadiva and Thomson Destiny home port operations have been lengthened to create 600 sqm of space inside and 800 sqm outside.

Q Carnival stays loyal to New Orleans Carnival Cruise Lines has exercised its option to extend its berthing agreement with the Port of New Orleans for another two years. The extension will keep the world’s largest cruise line sailing year round from the Crescent City through to November 2010.

Q Terry Thornton promoted at Carnival Terry Thornton has been promoted to senior vice president marketing planning for Carnival Cruise Lines, responsible for overseeing revenue management and strategic marketing departments. In addition, Thornton oversees fleetwide ship deployment and itinerary planning. He reports to Ruben Rodriguez, executive vice president marketing and guest experience.

Q Costa Crociere, Louis and MSC plan joint bid

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ouis Ltd, the largest cruise line and hotel operator in Cyprus and Greece has joined forces with Carnival Corporation & Plc and MSC Cruises to plan a joint bid to lease a terminal and cruise-ship pier in the French port of Marseille. It is understood that Louis, Costa Crociere and other companies are also bidding to develop the port and marina of Larnaca, Cyprus.

Genesis class ships to make huge economic impact at port Everglades

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he first of the Genesis class ships (220,000grt) is scheduled to begin sailing year-round from Port Everglades in late 2009, with the second sister ship beginning operations one year later. Each Project Genesis ship is projected to generate approximately 584,000 in passenger traffic annually at Port Everglades. It is estimated that the three Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd brands of Azamara Cruises, Celebrity Cruises and Royal Caribbean International will generate approximately 17 million in passenger

Lerwick set for an exciting year

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Q Stansted’s airlift development aids Harwich American Airlines is to double the number of its daily flights from New York to Stansted. The airport is in talks with the cruise lines operating out of Harwich International Port to draw to their attention this development which will reduce transfer time to Harwich by up to two hours as Stansted airport is just one hour from Harwich. 12 Dream World Cruise Destinations Spring 2008

volume (embarking and disembarking) at Port Everglades during the first 10-year term of the contract. An economic impact study conducted by Martin and Associates, as part of the Port Everglades Master/Vision Plan, projects that homeporting the Genesis ships at Port Everglades will create more than 3,844 jobs, generate $172 million in personal income and $15.9 million state and local taxes. In addition, the analysis anticipates that more than 858 new construction jobs will be created during Terminal 18 expansion.

Caught on camera St. Maarten’s Port Affairs Commissioner, Hon. Theodore Heyliger and Carnival Corporation & Plc Chairman and CEO Micky Arison signal the start of the construction of a new pier to provide berthing for two Genesis class ships at Philipsburg. The new pier, to be completed at the end of November 2009, will be adjacent to the existing cruise pier.

orwegian Jewel will arrive at Lerwick on September 19 for what will be the final call of the port’s 2008 programme. She will be one of six cruise ships on maiden visits to Lerwick this year – among the others are Costa Victoria and Fred. Olsen’s Boudicca. In all 43 ships and more than 20,000 cruise passengers are scheduled to visit the Shetland Islands’ port between early-May and mid-September. And in 2009 there will be calls from Costa Magica and Crown Princess which will contribute to a year in which the port could achieve its highest annual tonnage of cruise ships and the 1,000th cruise call.

Making a splash

NOx fund to replace the NOx tax in Norway

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he main elements of an Environmental Agreement between the Norwegian Ministry of Environment and fourteen business organisations on the reduction of NOx was reached in January. Its key objective is to obtain reduction in emissions of NOx in Norway as quickly and efficiently as possible, in order to contribute to the fulfilment of Norway’s commitments under the Gothenburg Protocol related to annual emissions of NOx. The Agreement has a time frame up to the end of 2011.

The operating body to fulfil the commitments under the Agreement will be the Business Sector’s NOx fund. The fund will be financed by a duty of payment by the companies that enters into the Agreement by signing a Statement of Association in order to obtain an exemption from the NOx tax (at present at NOK 15.39/kg NOx). The yearly cost for companies of the NOx tax was NOK 1,600 million in 2007, which was the first year of such a tax. In practice there was no support scheme

available to reduce emissions. The plan is that the duty to the NOx fund will be at the level of NOK 4/kg NOx in 2008 for ships. The intention is to keep this duty as stable as possible. Under the Agreement all companies that sign the Statement of Association before 1 July 2008 will be able to get a refund of NOx taxes paid from 1 January 2008. However, the Agreement as such will not enter into force before it has been approved for not breaching EU State Aid rules.

How do you reduce fuel consumption?

T

he most recent edition of Lloyd’s Register’s Passenger Ship Focus magazine covers a range of topics including: the installation of diesel generator plants alongside existing gas turbines on two of Celebrity Cruises’ Millennium Class passenger ships to help reduce fuel consumption; new

statutory requirements coming into effect from 2010, which govern the amount of damage a passenger ship must be able to withstand while still being able to return safely to port; the delivery of the polar exploration cruise ship Fram from Fincantieri’s Monfalcone shipyard.

AIDAluna to be christened in Palma de Mallorca

A

IDAluna will leave Hamburg on 22 March 2009 on a 14-day maiden voyage to Palma de Mallorca where the official naming will take place. She then heads back to Hamburg to spend its first summer in the Baltic

Sea. In October 2009 she repositions to sail four 14-day cruises between Bangkok and Singapore. Two further 14-day trans-Asian voyages will take passengers to the Red Sea and the west coast of India.

Caught on camera Philip Heylen, schepen (executive councillor) for culture and tourism, Antwerp

Peter Deilmann Cruises has announced a ban on smoking

Silversea appoints Auteri

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S

he company’s luxury flagship MS Deutschland is now smoke free. This decision follows an earlier announcement that smoking would not be allowed on any of the company’s nine European River ships, starting at the beginning of the

2008 season in March. Guests will be permitted to smoke only on the outside decks of any ship. This is an extension of a smoking ban limited to the cabins and corridors of all ships invoked in 2005.

ilversea Cruises has appointed Rocco Auteri as Senior Vice President Fleet Operations, based in Monte Carlo. He will be responsible for all hotel, marine and technical operations. Auteri was most recently Costa’s Director of Operations in Asia.

Silversea names their new expedition ship

H

SH Prince Albert II, Silversea’s recently named expedition ship, will carry just 132 guests in 66 ocean-view accommodations when she sets sail on 12 June from London on an inaugural season of voyages of 10 to 21 days focusing on polar adventures. Sailing

first to the Arctic Circle, Svalbard, Iceland and Greenland for the summer, the ship will then reposition to South America and Antarctica for autumn and winter voyages. From mid-August to November, HSH Prince Albert II will journey from the east coast of North

America through the Panama Canal to Los Angeles before heading south to Ushuaia. Along this special repositioning route there are opportunities to explore the Sea of Cortez (with an extension to Copper Canyon), Falklands and South Georgia Island.

Spring 2008 Dream World Cruise Destinations

13

Hambu u A major maritime year for

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amburg’s reputation as a great city has been built on its centuriesold pre-eminence as a major port (Europe’s second largest) and trade centre. The city’s near 2 million residents never forget the debt they owe to the River Elbe – its link to the ocean and its travellers – but, even by its standards, 2008 is a major maritime year for Hamburg. At the end of June, a new International Maritime Museum (Kaispeicher B) opens in the atmospheric Speicherstadt warehouse district near the waterfront. Some 3,000 years of maritime history will be on display through an evocative collection of 26,000 model ships, more

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than 2,000 films, one-and-a-half million photographs, 120,000 books, five thousand paintings and drawings, and 40,000 ship design plans. There will also be fascinating tableaux of nautical uniforms and equipment from down the centuries. Hamburg’s place in the maritime firmament will be highlighted there and also earlier (in May) at the Harbour Anniversary celebrations – an annual event which is the world’s largest harbour festival. More than a million visitors are expected at this year’s event, marking the harbour’s 819th birthday, when a fleet of yachts, tall ships, historical steamboats

and cruise ships will sail along the Elbe. Shipping buffs will also want to be in the city between July 30 and August 3 when some of the world’s most famous cruise ships will be on show as part of Hamburg Cruise Days 2008. Cunard Line’s latest transatlantic liner Queen Mary 2 makes the first of two summer calls in Hamburg on July 30. She will dock at the cruise terminal but there will also be an opportunity for visitors to take boat trips out to see the cruise ships that dock in the harbour. But Germany’s second largest city has not become one of the most popular cities for visitors just because of its maritime heritage and famous harbour.

WERBEAGENTUR SEIBT, HAMBURG

HAMBURG...

AN EXCITING CRUISE DESTINATION AND YOUR GATEWAY TO BERLIN!

NORTH SEA

BALTIC SEA KIEL

KIEL CANAL LÜBECK

STADE

HAMBURG CELLE

SCHWERIN

BERLIN

HANNOVER

Hamburg is the most beautiful Metropolis in Northern Germany. We welcome our international guests with an impressive skyline, many historic sites, great architecture, superb shopping in excellent gallerias, museums, theatres, musicals and many well known hotels. Hamburg is linked to our new capital Berlin by fast trains and by

urg It has also developed a welldeserved reputation as one of Europe’s major entertainment centres, because it never sits on its laurels and is always adding new features to interest and enthral visitors (two million of whom already come every year just to see the latest Broadway musicals staged at Hamburg theatres). Within the new, developing HafenCity complex of ships, bars, restaurants, parks and gardens linking the waterfront to the city centre, an old factory in the Kultur Compagnie building has been transformed into the Prototyp car museum.

the Autobahn. In just 90 minutes you arrive in the lively city of Berlin with breathtaking contemporary architecture and with the unique flair of the old quarters. Also half day tours to the medieval cities of Lübeck, Lüneburg, Buxtehude and Stade are an attractive addition to a Hamburg visit. Hamburg is the ideal cruise destination!

From April 12, car fans will be able to see Hamburg’s very own “Chrome Jewels” – a collection of classic racing and sports Porsches and a “live” workshop where old wrecks are lovingly restored. This is expected to prove just as hugely popular as the BallinStadt Museum, which opened – close to HafenCity – in 2007. This reconstructs the experience of the five million emigrants who passed through Hamburg en route for New York and provides a fascinating opportunity for visiting Americans with German antecedents to trace their family background. There is also a new edutainment centre among the neo-gothic warehouses near the harbour, which includes the Hamburg Dungeon, a miniature railway and the “dialogue in the dark” exhibition.

HAMBURG CRUISE CENTER e.V. Steinstraße 7 · D-20095 Hamburg Tel. +49(0)40-30051-393 Fax +49(0)40-30051-396 www.hamburgcruisecenter.de

One of Hamburg’s longest-established and most famous attractions – the pulsating nightlife of the Reeperbahn – owes its creation to the millions who have visited Hamburg by ship over the centuries, either as crew or passengers, In fact, this constant infusion of different tastes and cultures has created the cosmopolitan atmosphere, range of restaurants and entertainment that makes Hamburg such a vibrant, appealing place to visit. It is to continue this virtuous circle where it is the visitors themselves who make Hamburg such a visitor-friendly destination that the city invests in its cruise tourism facilities. A new megaship berth is due in 2009 and a new terminal complex (incorporating a four/ five star hotel) opens at HafenCity in 2011. 

Spring 2008 Dream World Cruise Destinations

15

Visionaries of the Caribbean

Talking to fishermen

Noel Hylton, President, Port Authority of Jamaica

Everybody agrees that the Caribbean needs new cruise ports and tourism infrastructure developments so that cruise lines can refresh itineraries and stimulate both the first-time and repeat business they require to fill the increasingly large ships being deployed there. But, as in many destinations, this is easier said than done because of the various bureaucratic, financial and logistical hurdles that have to be overcome. In the first of a series of features on the proactive personalities who know how to drive a major project through to completion, the President of the Port Authority of Jamaica Noel Hylton shares some important insights on how best to see a port project through from dream to reality when he talked to Chris Ashcroft.

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Spring 2008 Dream World Cruise Destinations

T

he Port Authority has a well-earned reputation in Jamaica for supervising and managing projects so that they finish on time and within budget. We work on a 10-year plan (developed with Pricewaterhousecoopers) so at any time we know what projects we are supposed to complete within the next 10 years. Every three years, we review that plan and amend it according to any new circumstances. Two years ago Maersk Lines said it would come to Kingston if we advanced the next phase of the port’s transhipment development. As we already had that phase planned and approved by our board, we could immediately set up a committee (which I chaired) and meet with consultants, architects and environmental people. From this, we set out the programme with a schedule of when the required approvals would be in place. With the all-important environmental issues, we go to the relevant authority (National Environmental and Planning

Agency/NEPA) and provide it with all the details on the project and ask it to tell us exactly what it would be looking for in our environmental report. They set the standard so that, when we employ a consultant, we already have the terms of reference approved by NEPA. At the same time as the tenders are going out, we are going to the Government with our project cost estimate and reasons for it going ahead so we can secure Government guarantees on it. The next time that we go back to Government is to fulfill its procurement procedures. When the tenders come in - and we have had them evaluated - we use our experience with the financing arrangements of the various institutions and banks. If we are going to target the EIB (European Investment Bank), we know that our tenders should be worldwide and that they have to be evaluated for prequalification, so we do these things in advance.

Visionaries of the Caribbean

One of our strengths is to find reputable consultants with a worldwide reputation. For example, for the Falmouth cruise port project, one of our consultants is Mott MacDonald in the UK. This company is known all over the world for its marine work so when their name is on a document the banks don’t question it. And when a consultant’s name is on the financial projections they don’t question that and so we use those strategies. The Government also has more confidence in a project when they see these consultants involved and so we attack it from both ends. By the time the tenders come in, they are evaluated, pre-qualified, we then go out for the real tender on the conception of the project. All the other Government approvals will be in and the last approvals are to get these tenders through the Government contracts award committee and then the Cabinet for final sign-off. But by that time we would have already advised the cabinet and fully informed them about the project. As soon as the contract is awarded we appoint a Project Manager from our Engineering Department who is put on that project from the beginning until completion. During the construction period, we have meetings every two weeks with our consultants at the executive level to bring us up to date. I have found over the years that, once you develop a reputation for transparency, openness and the fulfillment of a project, then you start to get your projects approved much more easily and quickly. In fact, when the Government had an inland transport centre project (financed by the Belgian Government), it asked us to supervise it so that it would come in on time and under budget – which it did. We are now planning to build a cruise ship pier in Port Royal (Kingston) and one in Port Antonio. Port Royal will probably be in two years’ time and the one in Port Antonio one or two years’ later than that but we have already advised the Government and applied for the necessary land. It is all part of our long-term planning policy. We are probably one of the few agencies in Jamaica to operate on that basis, with a full 10-year plan. This we send to our own Ministry but also to the Ministry of Finance, even though we do not seek funding from them. We just like to let it know what is happening so it never comes as a surprise. When we review the plan, we may feel that one project may not happen before the end of the ten years but that another might come on stream. But we do not

take that first project off the plan, we just put it at the bottom to say that this is not now within the 10-year frame, but we are bearing it in mind. Thinking this far ahead has many benefits such as in the case when we decided to develop a logistics centre in Kingston for the repacking, restocking, holding and distribution of goods for companies and manufacturers. We had already advised the Government and gained primary approval from them. It happens to be the case that we have to build a flyover from the port over some roads into the new centre. We are planning to put in the flyover foundations now because we know that through our discussions, the Government is expanding the road in that area. The Government has also built a highway from Portmore into Kingston. In our 10-year plan, we concluded that the original road, which tender, all the approvals had come in from ran very close to the port, was totally the heritage people, NEPA, Roads and inadequate for the area. So we developed Works and the Water Commission for the land behind that old road and took it sewage and water systems. further out because we owned some of the It is a really exciting project and, when land behind the road. we had a public meeting to discuss the We then offered the Government the environmental issues, I am told that the land at the end in exchange for it building 300-plus citizens who attended was a the new highway, so now instead of record number for such an event. But, having our property divided by a road, we because we had already spoken to so many have continuous access to our property people about the project, they were not and the new road. hearing of it for the first time. We are thinking 10 years ahead all the A classic example of the benefit of time and we are always prepared to show being open and keeping people informed and discuss with any of our Caribbean is that, when we told the local fishermen neighbours the way we do that we needed their place for We are things. a beautiful walkway but had The Falmouth project is an thinking found them two new places, excellent example. We have they were happy to accept one 10 years now moved far ahead of Royal of those and agreed to work ahead all the Caribbean. When we discussed with us towards a full solution. time and we the project and agreed the This meant that, when the timing and other details with it, are always environmental people asked the first thing we did was secure prepared to what is going to happen to the Government approval even fishermen, we could give them a show and letter from the President of the though it had never been in our discuss with Fishermen Association saying 10-year plan. any of our that it agreed with what the We advised all the agencies Port Authority is doing. Caribbean from which we needed to It is this kind of approach get approval and – as is our neighbours which makes us confident that we approach - asked them all what the way we do will have Falmouth ready in time they wanted from us so that, by things for the Genesis ships in 2009.  the time we were going out for

Spring 2008 Dream World Cruise Destinations

17

European Cruise Industry Conference, Brussels

Contribution of Cruise Tourism to the economies of Europe An abbreviated summary by Peter Wild, Managing director, G. P. Wild (International) Limited and Andrew Moody, president, Business Research and Economic Advisors.

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Spring 2008 Dream World Cruise Destinations

European Cruise Industry Conference, Brussels

T

his independent study was commissioned by the European Cruise Council and its partners Euroyards, MedCruise and Cruise Europe. The objective of the study was to update the comprehensive analysis of the global cruise industry’s operations in Europe, undertaken in 2006 and provide a clear understanding of the continuing contribution of cruise tourism to the European economy. The study covers 2006 and embraces the EU-25 plus Switzerland, Norway and Iceland. Its major findings are: • 44 cruise lines domiciled in Europe with 118 cruise ships and almost 102,000 lower berths. • 47 vessels with 51,300 lower berths deployed in Europe by non-European lines. • Over 3.4 million European residents booked cruises, 23% of all cruise passengers worldwide. • More than 3.6 million passengers embarked on their cruises from a European port, of which number over 80% were European nationals. • Most cruise tourists visited ports in the Mediterranean, the Baltic and other European regions, generating 15.2 million passenger visits at European port cities. As a result of the European cruise operations and investment in new cruise ships, key economic impacts (direct, indirect and induced) throughout Europe in 2006 include: • €10.6 billion (€8.3 billion ) in direct spending by cruise lines and their passengers, • €23.9 billion (€19.1 billion) in total output, • 225,586 jobs (187,252), and • €7.5 billion (€6.0 billion) in employee remuneration. These impacts represented a growth of around 25% in comparison to 2005. This means that each €1 million in cruise industry expenditures generated: • €2.2 million in business output, and • Just over 21 jobs paying an average wage of €33,500. The €10.6 billion in direct expenditures include: • €4.1 billion on new cruise ships plus maintenance and refurbishment (at end 2006, European yards were under contract to build 36 cruise ships – an investment of €14.9 billion to 2011. • €3.5 billion in goods and services. • €316 million on ship provisions. • €495 million in commissions to European travel agents. • €600 million on financial and business. • €2.0 billion in cruise passenger spending.

Direct Cruise Industry Expenditures in Europe, 2006 €10.6 Billion l 19% Passengers Purchases E2.0 l 39% Value of Shipbuilding E4.1 l 9% Cruise Employees Compensation E1.0 l 33% Cruise Line Purchases E3.5

• €100 per passenger at embarkation (excluding airfares). • €53 per passenger at each port visit. • €1.0 billion in wages and salaries plus benefits paid to the European employees of the cruise lines with 32,300 employed as sea staff and 5,500 in headquarters and administrative offices. In all, €10.6 billion in direct expenditures generated over 107,000 direct jobs and €3.6 billion in employee remuneration across Europe. Shipbuilding accounted for 53% of the cruise industry’s direct expenditure, 34% of direct jobs and 39% of direct employee compensation, whereas 37% of direct jobs and about one-fourth of all compensation went to European employees of cruise lines. Transportation and Utilities including tour operators and travel agents accounted for 19% of direct expenditures, 11% of direct jobs and 16% of remuneration. The top six countries accounted for approximately 86% of the impacts throughout Europe, over 80% of total jobs and over 85% of remuneration. Five of these as shown in the table were the leading countries for passenger generation and the sixth, Finland, is the major supplier of new ships, along with Italy and Germany. The falling global share of the North American market, despite its continuing growth, reflects expansion in Europe which has the seen the numbers of Europeans cruising trebling to 3.4 million over ten years. Over a similar period Europe as a source market for land-based tourism grew less than 50%. The cruise industry’s economic impact is expected to continue to grow over the next few years as demand for increasingly larger ships accelerates with an annual output of well over 25,000 new lower berths during 2008-10. At the same time the numbers of ships undertaking European itineraries is also expected to increase, together with demand from the European source market, which has the potential to reach 5.1 million by 2015.  Total Direct Economic Impacts of the Cruise Industry by Country, 2006

Italy

Direct Expenditures € Million € 3,199

Growth from 2005 28%

74,287

Total Compensation € Million € 2,295

UK

€ 1,818

8%

39,423

€ 1,588

Germany

€ 1,719

60%

29,925

€ 1,152

France

€ 849

58%

11,072

€ 496

Spain

€ 780

14%

15,496

€ 480

Country

Total Jobs

Finland

€ 734

18%

11,668

€ 439

Top Six

€ 9,099

28%

181,811

€ 6,450

Rest of the EU +3

€ 1,483

21%

43,775

€ 1,104

Total

€10,582

27%

225,586

€ 7,554

Europe’s growing number of cruise passengers l l l l l l

UK Germany Italy Spain France Other

1,204,000 705,000 517,000 391,000 242,000 349,000

35% 21% 15% 11% 7% 10%

Spring 2008 Dream World Cruise Destinations

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European Cruise Industry Conference, Brussels

Address by Efthimios E. Mitropoulos, Secretary-General, International Maritime Organization to the European Cruise Industry Conference on 26th February 2008 ean Cruise Industry Conference, Brussels, 26 February 2008

Address by Efthimios E. Mitropoulos

Secretary-General, International Maritime Organization

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adies and gentlemen, For some years, the cruise industry has been growing, changing its profile and pushing out its boundaries. No longer the sole preserve of the wealthy, cruising has now become a holiday choice for a far wider crosssection of the population. Prices have fallen, the market has expanded, the size of the ships has increased dramatically and destinations previously thought unattainable have been explored and developed. The cruise industry has been, and will continue to be, an aggressive driver of economic growth for several sectors. Whether in shipbuilding,

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shiprepair, seafaring, tourism or any of their related industries, it has the ability to provide a significant stimulus. In Europe, there has been considerable expansion in passenger numbers, in destinations visited and, perhaps most noticeably, in ships on order. It is no exaggeration to say that nearly all of the world’s cruise vessel orderbook is with European yards, which have established a position of genuine global leadership in this particular niche. As the global regulatory body for the international shipping industry, IMO has placed issues affecting cruise and other passenger vessels high on its agenda in recent years.

Prompted by the ever increasing size of such ships, the Organization launched a comprehensive review of their safety in 2000, a process which was completed in 2006 with the adoption of a package of amendments to the Safety of Life at Sea Convention. More recently, we have been looking at the question of external fire safety on passengerships and, of course, at environmental issues that have significance for all vessels, not least, cruise ships. I should like to take this opportunity to re-iterate my firm belief that IMO’s work has demonstrated, beyond doubt, that international standards – developed, agreed, implemented and enforced universally – are the only effective way to regulate such a diverse and truly international industry as shipping. With respect to the environment, our aim is to deliver optimal results, globally applied. Regional or unilateral measures, I am convinced, would not only be of limited benefit to the environment but might also damage an industry on which the whole world relies. In taking this approach, on matters related to the emission of air pollutants or greenhouse gases by ships, we are fully in tune with the outcome of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali last year, during

European Cruise Industry Conference, Brussels

which I outlined both the vital service that international shipping renders to the world’s prosperity and to sustainable development, as well as the measures that IMO has already taken, and will be taking, to reduce even further the shipping industry’s contribution to atmospheric pollution – however minor – and, thus, contribute to global efforts to address the very serious challenges of global warming and climate change. More specifically, IMO is nearing the completion of a major review of regulations governing air pollution from ships, in order to reduce harmful atmospheric emissions. A comprehensive study commissioned by IMO to assist in the planned revision of MARPOL Annex VI was successfully completed in December. The study reviewed the impact on the environment, on human health and on the shipping and petroleum industries, of applying any of the fuel options proposed to reduce SOx and particulate matter generated by shipping, as well as the consequential impact such fuel options could have on other emissions, including CO2 emissions from ships and refineries. It was presented to IMO’s SubCommittee on Bulk Liquids and Gases, earlier this month, and will subsequently be presented, together with recommendations from that SubCommittee, to our Marine Environment Protection Committee at its forthcoming March/April session. It is anticipated that consequential amendments to Annex VI will be formally adopted at the subsequent session of the Committee, in October 2008 – and amendments to MARPOL normally enter into force 16 months after their adoption. Throughout this whole process we have been keenly aware of the apparently conflicting requirements for, on the one hand, thoroughness in our research and in our conclusions, which takes time, and, on the other hand, the understandable clamour to avoid delay and to act expeditiously. I believe we have been able to strike the right balance in this

regard and that our Marine Environment positive links in recent years, which is Protection Committee will be presented understandable given the many items of with practicable, pragmatic, workable mutual interest on our respective agendas. and affordable options on which it can I believe in strong co-operation between base the political decisions that have to be the two, and I have established fruitful made. In being pro-active in this respect, dialogues with both the Commissioners by bringing our ongoing efforts to a for Transport and for Environment. I successful conclusion within the agreed recognize and acknowledge the desire of timeframe or, wherever possible, even the States of Europe to attain the highest sooner, not only will we be sending a possible shipping standards and would strong message about IMO’s commitment point to the various maritime safety to a cleaner environment, we will also be packages developed by the European stating, unequivocally, that, in so doing, Commission, which take into account we are driven by our own green agenda IMO rules and recommendations; as well out of our own concern and sensitivity for as the establishment of the European the environment. Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), as As influential and powerful countries cases in point. Indeed, at EMSA’s opening within the shipping world, the ceremony, in September 2006, I stated European nations can, of course, play a that Europe’s contribution to IMO’s work significant role in ensuring the successful was globally recognized and appreciated introduction and implementation of these and I looked forward to its continuing and, indeed, all IMO standards. Their high quality input to the global regulatory work within the international context regime has a mandate to deliver. of IMO is of great value, and I wish to Ladies and gentlemen, to conclude; assure them, once again, that the most the shipping industry is vital for effective results will be achieved when global prosperity and for sustainable they add their weight and their resources development. The cruise industry, to the development and enforcement which might, at first appearance, of universal, internationally agreed have more to do with relaxation and standards. A patchwork of different leisure than with the world of work, regulations and non-uniform can be a significant driver of IMO’s application would not achieve economic growth. At IMO, work has we seek to retain a careful the desired results and would be harmful to shipping in all demonstrated, balance between the needs of its sectors, including the cruise sustainable world trade and beyond industry. As repeatedly stated the improvement of standards doubt, that and universally acknowledged, of safety, security and international only global regulations should environmental stewardship. standards be pursued in all aspects of The cruise industry, by and shipping, including on matters large, shows an admirable desire are the only related to safety and pollution effective way to ensure that the balance is prevention and control, and the maintained and that it is why to regulate establishment, through IMO, of I am pleased to be able to take such a diverse part in this conference today. any special regional measures, such as Sulphur Emission and truly My only regret is that, owing Control Areas, for example, to other commitments, I have international should be pursued on the not been able to participate in industry as basis of well-documented and person; nevertheless, I wish shipping compelling needs. you every success with what In this regard, IMO and promises to be a stimulating and the European Commission thought-provoking agenda. have developed strong and Thank you. 

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Select Black T

he legendary Black Sea, situated between Southeastern Europe and Asia Minor, has been an intersection of influences from East and West throughout history. Today the names of Yalta, Sevastopol, Odessa, Constanta, Varna, Nessebur, Istanbul, Sinop, Batumi and Sochi are becoming more familiar to the cruise lines as the Black sea region becomes more popular. This year the expected growth rate is forecast to be 8-10% and the region has new destination options to offer as well as a major port infrastructure development which together with exciting marketing initiatives will contribute to the Black Sea region becoming even more popular as a cruise destination. Existing infrastructure allows Yalta and Odessa to service the operations of four large ships with draft exceeding 8 meters. Regular callers are Crystal Cruises, Seabourn Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, MSC Cruises, SilverSea, and Hebridean International Cruises. Last year Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ Seven Seas Navigator and Celebrity Cruises’ m/v Galaxy sailed to Odessa and Yalta. And this year Azamara Quest

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and Cunard’s newest addition Queen Victoria, are scheduled to visit these two ports. These deployments suggest that the Black Sea as a destination meets the requirements of various tastes including the most sophisticated and discerning. Just a few years ago Ukrainian-Britsh shore excursion operator Select Black Sea Ltd. introduced to the market its innovative cross-cultural product that allows cruise passengers to explore the unique aspects of local culture combined with the multinational heritage of the people that once inhabited the Black Sea region. To further maximize your sightseeing experience Select Black Sea Ltd. is able to arrange special before and after hours visits to museums and castles and guide you to extraordinary events, such as classical concerts, elegant receptions, and home-hosted lunches. For example the architecture of the Baroque-style Opera House of the city of Odessa is not only considered the second best in the world but it can also house 1500 people for an exquisite ballet performance. Now, the guests of Select Black Sea Ltd. can

extend their holidays with optional land programmes, such as adventure tours, customized cultural and historic tours and participation activities. Exclusive overland programmes include flight tours to the capital of Ukraine, Kiev from the port of Odessa. The goal of Select Black Sea Company is to service the requirements of cruise lines and leisure yacht passengers who visit the ports of the Black Sea region by offering them an extensive array of quality shore excursion options, diverse in duration, cost and content. Odessa, one of the most popular Black Sea destinations, features a gracious mix of elegant continental and Art Nouveau architecture with buildings of the late 19th and early 20th century reminiscent of Right Bank Paris. The city was founded by the Frenchman governor Armand Emmanuel de Vignerot du Plessis, Duke de Richelieu, who transformed the city into Porto Franco. Its cosmopolitan nature is drawn from an extremely diverse population of Russians, Ukrainians, Romanians, Greeks, Bulgarians, Armenians, Italians, Frenchmen, Germans and Jews. Now Select Black Sea guests can explore

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Opera House in Odessa Crystal Serenity in Odessa

NEW PASSENGER TERMINAL IN THE OLYMPIC CITY OF SOCHI Sochi is a major resort on the Russian Riviera, visitors to which are likely to benefit from a rapid growth of the recreational infrastructure, namely a new offshore cruise terminal and a convention centre, being built in advance of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games. The new terminal will allow docking for three mega cruise ships with capacities of up to 3000 passengers.

Sea

the multinational heritage of Odessa by selecting one of our culture tours – Jewish, Italian or Greek, which is especially interesting as Odessa is often called the Motherland of Greek Freedom due to the secret activity of the Feliki Eteria patriotic society. Sevastopol is one of most famous naval citadels in Europe. It is especially interesting for the tourists from Great Britain as a chance to experience world’s history firsthand by visiting the tragically notorious Crimean War battlefields, which were immortalized in Tennyson’s poem, “The Charge of the Light Brigade”. In the vicinity of Sevastopol there is the outpost of Greek and Hellenic culture for millennia, the ancient settlement of Chersonesus, which is also the cradle of Russian Orthodox Christianity. Every summer the ancient theatre of Chersonesus is the venue of theatrical performances which are arranged in the authentic environment of the ancient city. Sevastopol also serves as a gateway to one of only three palaces representing the civilizational circle of the Middle East in Europe, Bakhchisaray

tour specialists throughout the Black Sea Khan’s Palace which has been designated as UNESCO World Heritage Site. Yalta is a dramatically handsome resort on the southern part of Crimea, which seems to be an exquisite combination of Carmel California, the French Riviera and Greece. Often called “Nice of the Black Sea”, Yalta is known as the setting for the historic Yalta Conference of 1945, attended by Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill which took place in the scenic Livadia White Palace, the former summer residence of the Romanov Imperial family. In Yalta Select Black Sea Ltd. is able to organize an extensive range of various shore excursions, including the places far off the beaten path, such as the Palace of Dulber, which since the year of 2005 houses the unique photo exposition devoted to the history of the Russian Imperial family and organized on the initiative of Select Black Sea Ltd. Yalta is also known as the home to the Ukraine’s oldest winery Massandra, which legendary fine and rare wine collection is recorded into the Guinness Book of Records. During the wine tasting tours guests are offered the opportunity to sample vintage luxurious wines that match their own age. 

Dubler Palace

Livadia Palace

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Port Issue

COLD IRONING T

alk lk tto mostt cruise i company executives about the pace-gathering move towards the use of shore power as a positive contribution to reducing environmentally harmful emissions from ships and their lack of enthusiasm is palpable. The reason for this is as clear as the issue is cloudy – far from being a winwin solution for the maritime sector and shoreside communities and lobby groups, it has – as Carnival UK’s Philip Naylor explained – every possibility of becoming a lose-lose deal. He said: “This has been seized upon by a number of coastal and port state authorities as a way of solving a problem that they think exists. They understand the concept of plugging something into a source of electric power but there does not seem to be much awareness or recognition of the environmental credentials of that power source whether it is generated sustainably or from a source that entails significant emissions and harm to the environment. “The European Commission(EC) has encouraged ports in Europe to investigate the viability of shore power and produced statistics on its potential benefits in terms of air quality and the number of lives that will be saved. Unfortunately, it continues to overlook a number of important aspects of this issue which put the viability and environmental effectiveness of shore power into serious question. “For a start, there is no standardised

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Spring 2008 Dream World Cruise Destinations

ti tto li k ships hi tto shore h connection link power (an IMO working group is currently trying to establish one) and ships cannot just move along a quay and plug in. “So, from a cruise shipowner’s point of view, there is not only the capital costs involved in fitting the required equipment on board but also – typically – the longterm cost of taking a revenueearning cabin out of each side of the ship. Given four berths in those cabins, that is a potential loss £400/$800 per day over 362 days a year service multiplied by the 30- year life of the ships. This adds up to a not insignificant £4.3m/$8.6m per ship.” That is why they are reluctant to contribute to the port’s cost of putting the shoreside connection equipment on the berth. This will vary but, to enable all ships calling at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to switch to shore power at every available berth, it has been estimated by consultants, at a recent conference on cold ironing in London, that the cost is in the region of $1.7bn. Much of that expense is because ports often do not currently run much power up to the berths. Naylor said: “The power supply to the berths at Southampton’s Western Docks is about 80 years old and the cranes still run on DC currents so it will not just be a matter of simply putting a transformer on the quay and plugging it in, it will be a huge infrastructure project to actually get the power there.” He pointed out the the power at

hb th would ld h fficient i t each berth have tto b be suffi to supply a “village” of 4,000 people - about eight megawatts – and that the ports would have to pay for that equipment and then provide the power at a cost competitive with the cost of ships generating their own power.. But the cost and even the availability of shoreside power is going to vary widely from place to place. Naylor said: “In Alaska, where they generate more than they need, shore power is going to be cheaper than the ship generating it but, in the UK for example, a lot of the incremental power supplied comes from fossil fuel sources. “Basic requirements are fuelled by a combination of gas and nuclear (some imported from the Continent) and, to a lesser extent, hydro power. But, when demand increases on a very cold winter’s day, sustainable power sources like wind turbines are not sufficient to deal with it – rather it falls first to fossil-fired and then to the even less environmentallyfriendly oil-fired power stations to fill the gap” This begs two important questions. Naylor said: “Do we really want to add these incremental chunks of power demands just to provide shore power to ships especially as, even to maintain the status quo, the UK needs to build a lot of extra power-generating capacity in the UK to replace those older stations being closed down. “Also, does it really make sense for ships to switch to power being provided

Port Issue

Emissions Solution or Red Herring Carnival UK’s General Manager Fleet Operations Philip Naylor casts some much needed light on the increasingly opaque issue of shore power for ships (AKA ** cold ironing)

b non-sustainable by t i bl coall and oil sources – especially when those power stations are right next to the ports? In these cases, I believe the answer is `no’. “In countries where they have huge supplies of sustainable hydro electricity like Norway and France or places like California where there is nuclear energy to be sourced well away from major conurbations, it may be a good thing, but particularly in the old established industrial centres in the developed economies in Europe, it is probably not.” This is all an example, he said, of the dangers involved in coming up with a single solution for a single problem when that problem is part of a much broader issue. This approach can often simply make the situation worse. He said: “As a company, we prefer to take a holistic view which, in this case, means considering whether there is a net environmental benefit to cold ironing? And the fact is that it does not really matter if you generate fuel from an oil or coal fired power station or a ship’s engine room, the carbon footprint is going to be about the same. “There are also the issues of sulphur dioxide emissions causing acidification of forests in regions like Scandinavia and of local eutrophication caused by NOx emissions damage to air quality.“ NOx is a factor of the chemistry of combustion of a hydro carbon fuel and this gas contributes to nitrate concentration in waterways which was

thought to have a negative impact on aquatic/marine life. Naylor said: “I believe that scientists, having realized that is not so much of an issue as they once thought, they are now simply saying that nitrous oxide is a nasty gas to have in the air and no one disputes that fact. “The EC has encouraged all ports to conduct air studies in their ports and Southampton found that any concentrations tended to be where you have lots of vehicular activity by the ships ie with ferries and container ships.” Another element of the “to cold iron or not to cold iron” argument revolves around ships having to power up after switching off the shoreside source. Because ferries spend much short times in port, Naylor believes that shore power is a non-starter for them. As cruise ships tend to stay 10-12 hours, the situation for them is – once again – a little more complex. He said: “The visible emissions that are seen now from ships are a product of using heavy fuel oil and occur when the main engines are started up from cold. But, by 2010, cruise ships are going to need to be using distilate fuel (very light grade gas oil) when alongside and the emissions created when starting up from cold using that will be very much less. “But, when it is a question of switching to and from shore power, it is going to take time to shut the engines down and then it is going take even

more time prior to departure to run the engines up to a level where the shore power can be taken away. During those periods, the engines are actually running on low loads. This means the visible emissions will actually increase because the engines are not running so efficiently. “It is a little like waiting at the traffic lights when, by revving up and letting out the clutch, you are bringing on more power than you need so that you do not stall the engine. It is exactly the same with a ship when you need to bring the ship’s generator up to match that shoreside power demand. “It all has to be balanced up quite carefully, otherwise the system just runs into overload. This is certainly one of the contributory causes of a ship having a power failure whether it’s a total ‘black out’ or a partial loss: a ’ brown out’,” As Naylor concludes, the jury is clearly still out on cold-ironing. He said: “As well as all the operational and practical issues, it remains the case that it may or may not be the most economically viable solution and it may or may not even be the most environmentally sustainable solution.”  ** The term “cold ironing” derives from an old US navy expression, coined many years ago when iron war ships first introduced steam power. When they were in port, they would shut the boilers down. This meant they could not immediately put to sea in an emergency and so they were described as ‘cold iron’.

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Rotterdam and beyond…the best of Holland

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A

s one of the largest ports in the World, Rotterdam continues to surprise everyone with its new architecture, festivals, sporting events, daring art and culture, trendsetting nightlife and increasing number of unique stores. Rotterdam is an open and hospitable city, easily accessible by water, rail, road and air. The River Maas, to which Rotterdam owes its existence, is an attraction in itself. During an impressive boat trip, you can see the gigantic throughput facilities, which are shifting further towards the sea all the time. Simultaneously, the inner city docklands are ar being transformed into attractive, lively liv areas with busy pavement cafes, innovative architecture, i unique bridges and an an excellent choice of shops, restaurants and bars. r Shopping in the modern centre, with its wide choice of o stores is a real treat. On Sundays too, a lot of department stores on and around Beursplein and the aro Lijnbaan are open. ope This area is encircled by the “golden edges” of the centre: ed posh Van Oldenbarneveltstraat, Karel Oldenb Doormanstraat, Kruiskade and the trendy K Nieuwe Binnenweg, Binnenw Witte de Withstraat and Nieuwe Markt. Mar Rotterdam is a modern city with guts, where old and new blend together. Its I skyline is constantly changing. Highrise Highr projects, such as Montevideo at the th Kop van Zuid and the renovated Lloydkwartier are evidence of Lloydk the dynamic character of the city. And char yet, the typical “Old “O Dutch” atmosphere has remained intact in places such as Delfshaven and the Scheepvaartkwartier (Shipping District). Rotterdam has a very wide range of museums. From modern art to historical artefacts, from architecture to photography, from historical ships to exotic animals. Furthermore, there are lots of interesting galleries at various locations in the city. In Rotterdam, many different cultures have a tangible influence. The countless bars and restaurants, for example, together represent all of the world’s cuisines.

ROTTERDAM HIGHLIGHTS Spido provides round trips in and around Rotterdam. At the base of the Erasmus Bridge, Spido welcomes you to come and enjoy a surprising tour along Rotterdam’s impressive skyline and harbours. Industrial Tourism offers tailor-made tours through the port of Rotterdam by boat or bus. The Cube Houses were designed by Piet Blom. He saw his design as a tree and the entire complex as a forest. The Kijkkubus is the fully furnished museum home in the Blaakse Bos. The Euromast with an overall height of 185 meter provides an unforgettable view of the dynamic city of Rotterdam, the world port and the low land around it. In the 21st century Historic Delfshaven is more than just its history. It has now been discovered by fun-shoppers. Where the United East Indies Company once built ships, Piet Heyn drank his beer and the Pilgrim Fathers spent the night before embarking on their voyage to America, you will now find antique shops, art dealers, small shops selling bric-à-brac, glass, (bridal) fashion, two interesting museums, an imposing church, two theatres and a corn mill. The “Grote of Sint-Laurenskerk” built between 1449 -1525 (late Gothic) is the oldest monument in central Rotterdam. The church features three memorial tombs for sea heroes and three Marcussen organs, the main organ being the largest

fully mechanical organ in Europe. “Shopping in Rotterdam” is the ideal way for visitors to discover Rotterdam’s exceptional “secrets”. There are eight special shopping routes for pedestrians, varying in length and character. Each one reveals a different aspect of the dynamic shopping city. Museum Boijmans van Beuningen is famous for its magnificent collections of classical and contemporary art. With works by many masters such as Brueghel, Rembrandt, Monet, Dali, Picasso, Van Gogh and De Kooning. The museum also houses arts and crafts dating back to the fourteenth century, as well as modern design. The Maritime Museum covers the history of the port of Rotterdam. Outside, the nineteenth-century man o’war “De Buffel” is moored. In the Historic Museum Het Schielandhuis the Rotterdam of the past comes back to life in rooms decorated in historical style, from the eighteenth century to the present day. There is an enormous amount to see in Rotterdam when it comes to architecture and urban development. Rotterdam attracts huge international interest as a city of architecture and not only because of the impressive skyline, which just continues to grow. The zoo has expanded to become one of Europe’s most beautiful zoological gardens. And last year the Royal Rotterdam Zoo celebrated its 150th birthday.

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...beyond Rotterdam Rotterdam

2 5

4 3

1 7 6

7

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2 The Hague

3 Schiedam

4 Delft

5 Gouda

6 Dordrecht

7 Kinderdijk

Spring 2008 Dream World Cruise Destinations

3 Schiedam

In the areas around the city, beaches, polders and countless historic monuments can be found. Nowhere else in The Netherlands is there such a varied range of landscapes. The historic towns of Delft (porcelain), Gouda (cheese), The Hague (Peace Palace), Dordrecht (oldest city of The Netherlands), Schiedam (Dutch gin) and Kinderdijk (18 windmills that are on UNESCO’s World Heritage list) can all quickly and easily be reached from Rotterdam by public transport, coach, car or boat. 2 The Hague has been called many names: Green City by the Sea, Royal Residence, Beautiful City behind the Dunes, the Largest Village of Europe. It is the third largest city in The Netherlands, seat of The Netherlands government, the home of the Royal Family and boasts 11 km of coastline and extensive public parklands. However, with more than 80 international organisations, including a number of world-renowned courts and tribunals, The Hague has truly earned its reputation as the City of Peace, Justice and Security. 3 Owing to the heydays of the Dutch gin and shipping industries, the city centre of Schiedam has a wealth of stories. Built by prosperous distillers, the 225 national monuments in Schiedam have a history

you can taste and nostalgia you can feel. 4 There is no other place where you will encounter so many globally appealing cultural-historical values as in Delft Delftware, Johannes Vermeer, the link with the Dutch Royal Family and the Dutch East India Company. Although more than 750 years old, Delft is more than history; a lively modern city with many innovations. 5 Traditionally, the town of Gouda has functioned as a market town and a transit town for regional products and as centre of facilities. The extensive area of peaty meadows of which Gouda forms the centre, made cheese the very product with which the town became famous. There are still cheese warehouses in the centre of the town. 6 The historic inner city of Dordrecht, the oldest city of The Netherlands, lies concealed between mighty rivers. The old inner city can be best explored on foot. The traditions of a mediaeval mercantile city are reflected in nearly a thousand monuments. 7 The Netherlands are famous for its windmills. Today there are still more than 1,000 standing and nowhere will you find as many as near Kinderdijk where 18 sturdy windmills were built in around 1740 and these have been well preserved to this day. 

Cruise Port Rotterdam B.V. Wilhelminakade 699 PO. Box 51005 3007 GA ROTTERDAM Tel: +31-10-4860724 Fax: +31-10-4135022 E-mail: offi[email protected] Website: www.cruiseportrotterdam.com Mrs. Mai Elmar. director

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ARUBA

Only

the

Best

From beautiful sunny beaches, world class shopping and watersports, to rugged natural sights and the most friendly people anywhere, nothing compares to Aruba...

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Aruba Cruise Tourism • Government of Aruba Tel.: (297) 583-3648 • Fax: (297) 583-5088

왘 www.ArubaByCruise.com

Itinerary development

Quintessential Ingredients By Simon Douwes and Timothy Littley Holland America Line

F

or some time now, our good d itinerary planning has always been to friend Chris Ashcroft the editor ensure that the operational and financial of Dream World Cruise Destinations underpinnings of an itinerary are has been asking us to write something sound. The itinerary planner therefore about Holland America Line’s unique needs to combine creativity with broad itineraries, the port developments operational knowledge and a firm inherent to those itineraries and, understanding of financial reality. The ultimately, the business philosophy combination of these qualities, together which underpins Holland America Line’s with the aforementioned perspicacity, inimitable and very successful cruises. are the tools of the itinerary planner’s Let’s first clarify the matter of trade. itinerary planning. One must understand The entire cruise industry went that itinerary planning is not solely a through a deployment contraction in the mathematical equation of operational aftermath of 9/11. For Holland America parameters, yield and cost. If one were to it meant that some ships, which were approach itinerary planning in such an once deployed far from North America austere manner, the result would ultimately in places like Europe, were moved fall short on many levels. In back to ”The Homeland”. This order to prosper and succeed, contraction of deployments had The itinerary planning requires as an immediate consequence lack of a healthy dose of creativity. an overabundance of cruise port diversity capacity in the volume market, No destination has ever been developed without therefore resulting in a predictable near these creativity; it is, in many ways, alternate home downward pressure on yields. the quintessential ingredient. Most cruise lines tried to ports results Holland America Line has distinguish themselves from the been and still is endowed with in relatively competition by offering cruises a wonderfully forward thinking higher fuel from different home ports. management team. Creativity, costs Thus was born the concept of brinkmanship and foresight “homeporting” as a deployment are understood to be necessary strategy. Holland America to achieve success. played only a minor role in the One of the challenges in homeporting game. It is very

difficult to offer competitive itineraries, especially shorter cruises, from home ports far removed from the traditional cruising areas such as the Caribbean or the Mexican Riviera. The lack of port diversity near these alternate home ports results in relatively higher fuel costs, as well as reduced shore excursion revenue. It is for this reason that Ports such as Baltimore or San Francisco will never obtain the same cruise traffic numbers as ports like Miami or Fort Lauderdale. The approach we took at Holland America was to retain our traditional home ports and diversify our products by sailing to different destinations contiguous to the traditional cruising regions. One of the great advantages Holland America Line had over its direct competition was that our array of itineraries had traditionally included many that were longer than seven days. In combination with a fleet consisting primarily of medium-sized vessels it makes it that much easier to go to destinations where the cruise infrastructure is less developed, as opposed to generic destinations such as Cozumel or St. Thomas. Initially, we developed two new programmes, both with innovative itineraries. One was the so-called ‘Westfarer’ cruise which included

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[[[QEVXMRMUYISVK

Fun

Paul Gauguin

Comfort

The Sweet Life

Ti-Punch Creole Cuisine

Flowers

Pristine Beaches

Saint-Pierre, the little Pompeii For information and free brochures on Martinique, please call (514) 288-1904 or visit: www.martinique.org

Itinerary development

Copper Canyon

Veracruz as the marquis destination and the other programme was the ‘Sea of Cortez’ cruise, anchored on Topolobampo and the Copper Canyon. Despite the inclusion of Veracruz the Westfarer cruises did not fare as well as we had anticipated and after the first year we discontinued the programme. Veracruz is an old, venerated and wonderful city on the Gulf of Mexico. No city I have ever visited has a more enthusiastic population and a more supportive administration to welcome cruise ships. However the main drawback at the time was the lack of other destinations in the vicinity to support Veracruz. One of the cardinal rules of itinerary planning is that no destination can exist on its own, every destinations needs to be supported by other neighbouring destinations in order to build an itinerary. Veracruz did not have a destination network to support its marquee status. One good thing that came forth from our Westfarer programme was that it sparked the interest of several cargo ports in the region. Five years later we now see that Gulf of Mexico destinations are rapidly being developed, Progreso is re-branding itself (Puerto Yucatan) and is becoming a very attractive destination. Other ports such as Tabasco and Tampico have invested heavily and are now readying themselves to receive large cruise ships. The Gulf of Mexico can easily be reached from home ports ranging from Pensacola to Corpus Christi and Houston. All are home ports that are close to the itinerary destinations and in most cases close to large domestic markets as well. In short, all the conditions are coming together on the Mexican East coast to build a fantastic Gulf of Mexico programme.

In contrast to the Westfarer programme The Sea of Cortez cruises were an instant success. For the first time ever, a larger cruise ship (the Ryndam with 1258 lower beds) sailed the Sea of Cortez with calls at Pichilinque for La Paz, Loreto, Santa Rosalia and Topolobampo. Up until that time the Sea of Cortez had been serviced primarily by small niche operators such as Cruise West. When starting an entire new programme, it is very important that the marketing message is anchored on a well-known attraction. For The Sea of Cortex we found this in the Copper Canyon, which can be accessed by an amazing daytrip by train from Topolobampo. In order

to develop the Copper Canyon tour for the cruise industry a lot of groundwork needed to be done, and in this regard we are eternally grateful for the work of Bernardo Balderama Garcia and Arturo Musi. Their dedication and perseverance were key to bringing our shared vision to life. Over the years and continuing to this day, the shore excursion programmes at the Sea of Cortez destinations have been steadily increased in capacity and quality. For 2008, Holland America Line has added Guaymas to the line-up of ports and will have more sailings than ever into the Sea of Cortez. As we reach the close of the first decade of this new millennium the situation is very different to the first few years after 9/11. Holland America Line’s focus has evolved and the post 9/11 contraction is long past. We have entered a time period of unprecedented expansion of the cruise industry. Holland America Line’s ships are once again deployed world wide. With so many superb destinations now on the map the only limiting factor at this time would appear to be the size of our fleet. In 2008, Holland America Line will visit 328 ports in 113 different countries and territories, up from 314 in 2007. In 2004 we visited 264 different ports. These numbers show a rapidly expanding global presence and dozens of new destinations every year, some of which have never hosted a cruise vessel before. New destinations and maiden port calls have become very much a defining characteristic of our itineraries. With the

Dominican Republic

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Itinerary development

SIMON DOUWES Director, Deployment & Itinerary Planning Holland America Line 300 Elliott Avenue West Seattle, WA 98119 Simon Douwes is the Director of Deployment and Itinerary Planning for Holland America Line, a subsidiary of the Carnival Corporation & plc. Appointed to this position in 2002, he has the responsibility of researching, developing and implementing the deployments and itineraries for all vessels in the Holland America Line fleet. Douwes began his career at Holland America Line as an officer shortly after graduating from the Nautical Academy of Amsterdam in 1978. He steadily rose through the ranks and was promoted to Captain in 1993. He served as Captain on many of the Holland America Line vessels between 1993 and 2002. Simon resides on the Kitsap Peninsula in Washington State with his wife Sharon and two children. When not at work, he enjoys fly-fishing and scuba diving.

world at our fingertips we are finding that our target demographic has both the motivation and means to discover it. This does not necessarily mean that all new destinations perform satisfactorily during a first call. In fact this is, unfortunately, not often the case. The term “Overnight Success” is seldom used when speaking of port development. People, patience, perseverance, politics combined with vision and availability of capital are what make a destination a success. An example of a destination that has gotten it right is Puerto Chiapas. It is a relatively new destination that has performed superbly for us from the very first time we called there in 2006. It has become a staple destination on most of our Panama Canal cruises and it is somewhat remarkable that not many of our competitors have followed in our footsteps. It is important that the cruise industry continues to participate and invest in new cruise destinations as well. Examples of very successful destination creations are Holland America Line’s private island Half Moon Cay and more recently the Grand Turk development. The traditional cruise regions remain the backbone of the industry and will attract ships of increasing number and size. Fortunately there are many untapped destinations out there that have the potential to deliver a great experience. The Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and other such

islands, have a lot to offer in this regard. Whether or when Cuba comes into play is a matter of much speculation. It is safe to say however that such an event will redefine the Caribbean market and will result in a bonanza of exciting new itineraries. The flip side to this is that not all of the current Caribbean destinations are likely to emerge from the upheaval as winners. When we look to the future, we see an ever expanding cruise industry, and with that comes the increasing need to create fresh new itineraries, similar to what Holland America Line has done the Sea of Cortez and the Gulf of Mexico. It is time to look beyond established concepts and predispositions. Both the cruise operators and cruise destinations must task themselves to the goal of creating the framework for continued growth in the next decade and beyond. There are signs of dark economic clouds on the horizon; this may mean battening down the hatches. However, the nature and strength of the cruise business will allow us to weather these kinds of storms. With continued destination development, some creative itinerary planning and marketing wizardry, we can entice the baby boomers to herald what will hopefully be a new age of cruising with growth and prosperity for a very long time to come. 

TIMOTHY LITTLEY Manager, Deployment & Itinerary Planning Holland America Line 300 Elliott Avenue West Seattle, WA 98119 Timothy Littley is the Manager of Deployment and Itinerary Planning for Holland America Line, a subsidiary of the Carnival Corporation & plc. He has the responsibility of researching, developing and implementing the deployments and itineraries for all vessels in the Holland America Line fleet. Born in the Netherlands and of British nationality, Timothy graduated from the Nautical Academy of Amsterdam in 1998 with two Bachelor degrees in engineering (BSc). Prior to joining the Holland America Line he served as a navigational and engineering officer with various commercial cargo operators. Timothy began his career at Holland America Line as a navigational officer in 1999 and served on many of Holland America Line’s vessels as he rose through the ranks. He accepted his current position as Manager of Deployment and Itinerary Planning in 2005 and subsequently moved to Washington State. Timothy resides in Everett, Washington with his wife Kelly and their golden retriever Piper. When not at work, he enjoys catamaran sailing, fishing and travel.

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Ports

Opportunity for new ports? By Tony Peisley

W

hen Saga decided that its Spirit of Adventure was going to make her first Baltic cruise, it not only alerted past passengers to the fact in their ‘Freespirited’ newsletter but suggested three different itineraries from which they could choose the one that would be operated. Saga Shipping managing director James Duguid said, “We offered the standard northern capitals, another itinerary that would have concentrated on Gdansk and other southern Baltic ports, and a third which went right into the Gulf of Bothnia. “By a big majority, they went for Bothnia so that is what we scheduled.” Which is good news for the promotional group which has been trying to encourage more cruise traffic into the Gulf and by extension – it would seem – for all smaller, less well-known ports trying to establish themselves on the cruise circuit. But it would be wrong for them to take too much comfort from this example of passenger power as:

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a) this sort of democratic exercise is unlikely to be repeated too often even by Saga or adopted at all by most cruise companies, and b) Spirit of Adventure passengers are, almost by definition, more destinationfocused than the average cruiser. That said, Saga has also had success with a couple of “mystery” cruises which passengers booked knowing only that there would be at least eight ports and that four of these would be new to the brand – the actual destinations were kept secret. With 80%-plus repeaters for the main brand, Duguid said: “We do feel under pressure to add new ports, but we are always careful not to have too many on one cruise in case they should prove unpopular.” This view was echoed by Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines’ marketing director Nigel Lingard, again quoting the Baltic. He said “We do like to add the occasional new port but never more than one on an itinerary as it is very important always to have your banker ports which sell an

itinerary and make it work.” He also warned that, although there had been a recent increase in the number of calls being made at new or rarely visited ports (his own brand offered 29 new calls in its 2007/8 programme), this was likely to tail off. “There will be passenger volume increases because of the larger ships being deployed but not much more growth in the number of calls,” he said. “If we have too many more ports trying to attract cruise business, they are likely to be disappointed.” He said that new or emerging ports should think very carefully before investing heavily in terminals, especially if the landside tourism infrastructure is limited or non-existent. “Unless there is homeporting involved, a terminal is rarely required,” he said. As one executive (Mark Ittel) from a leading terminal development company (Bermello, Ajamil & Partners) was moved to say at a recent conference: “If you don’t need it, don’t build it.”

xxxxxxxxxxxxx Ports

The Baltic is a prime example of an area where there are any number of ports looking covetously at the economic benefits cruise tourism is bringing to established ports like Tallinn and St Petersburg and their surrounding areas. They clearly see a chance for themselves as the cruise industry not only expands but focuses much more on Europe as a source market and, by extension, a destination, too. But, although the larger, newer ships are beginning to operate in areas like the Baltic (eg. Carnival Splendor in 2008) and the rest of Northern Europe, the Mediterranean and also Asia now, these will always concentrate on the larger, marquee ports. This will be partly for operational and logistical reasons – being able to dock and know there is enough ground transport/ tours for 2,000-plus passengers is critical. They may include the occasional new port – to impress their past passengers if nothing else – but, even with the increasing number of these ships, this will

not deliver enough business to sustain the number of ports coming into the sector. Their target must be the smaller ships and the luxury and soft adventure/ expedition sectors in particular. As an example of how this works the latest itineraries for P&O Cruises (POC) and Voyages of Discovery (VoD) make an interesting comparison. The six ships of POC feature just nine new ports throughout 2008, while the one ship of VoD will make 24 inaugural calls in the winter 2008/9 season alone. The fact that POC has been cruising for much longer than VoD is obviously a factor, as inevitably it will have already visited far more ports, but it does show the different dynamic operating – as far as itinerary-planning is concerned – between a mainstream premium brand and a softadventure specialist. But there is undoubtedly some potential for a spin-off from the capacity expansion among the major brands and the fact that this is based primarily on mega-ships. Their introduction has meant

that those brands are increasingly using their smaller, older ships to pathfind new regions and new ports. Although it does use large ships in traditionally smaller-ship regions (eg. Antarctica and the Baltic), Princess Cruises is the best example of this trend, with the 700-passenger Tahitian Princess and Royal Princess seeking out the smaller, little-visited ports in the South Pacific and Mediterranean respectively. Another way the newer ports may benefit is because there is some evidence that the increased congestion at the larger or more popular ports (eg. Venice, Livorno or Santorini) is starting to prompt some major brands to find alternatives, but the fact remains that mega-ships are seldom going to include a large number of small new ports. For cruise wannabe ports, a sense of perspective is going to prove the key attribute if they are to get the right level of return on any investment – private and/ or public – made in the cause of attracting cruise ships to their harbours. 

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Klaipeda

an amber jewel invests for further growth

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J

ust a few yeas ago the port and town of Klaipeda was unknown to cruise visitors. All of a sudden an ever increasing number of cruise ships are visiting this maritime city. Klaipeda has achieved a passenger growth rate of over 400% between 2003 and 2007, with 36,686 cruise passenger arrivals in 2007 – a 40% increase compared to 2006. As a consequence of this growth a new passenger terminal is being built to help sustain the city’s future cruise tourism business. NEW PASSENGER TERMINAL ANNOUNCED The modern Cruise Vessel Terminal, built in 2003 in the historic heart of downtown Klaipeda, has served passenger shipping well but as there has been a rapid and continuous growth in the number of cruise vessels visiting the city, the Port Authority has decided to invest in a new Passenger Terminal. Construction of the new terminal has already begun and the completed building is expected to be inaugurated in a couple of years. This will provide passengers with an enhanced service and offer cruise lines an alternative place for berthing their ships. KLAIPEDA – AN AMBER JEWEL A modern Cruise Vessel Terminal, which was inaugurated in 2003, was the catalyst for the development of the city: red-brick warehouses were converted and cleaned, local food restaurants sprang up and now fountains, surrounded by flower-pots, are scattered throughout the city. The narrow streets of the Old Town transmits an atmosphere of ancient times where once craftsmen, shoemakers, blacksmiths, bakers used to live. It is little wonder that the beauty of the Old Town, with its neoGothic buildings and patchwork houses, has become a magnet for visitors seeking a different experience and a lasting impression. Klaipeda, stretching along the coast of the Curonian Lagoon, is set amongst sand dunes and pine tree forests and vessels approaching the city can glimpse the edge of the Curonian Spit, one UNESCO’s world heritage sites – Juodkrant , Preila, Nida. A short distance down the coast is Palanga, a Lithuanian resort renowned for its rich Amber Museum, Botanical Gardens, and long pedestrian pier. The distinctive Lithuanian landscape, which is considered to be of outstanding natural beauty, is complement by delicious cuisine, warm-hearted people and an appealing medieval ambiance impregnated with a modern dynamism.

ARRIVE TO A TRADITIONAL LITHUANIAN WARM WELCOME The Port of Klaipeda welcomes visitors to the sound of the traditional songs and dance together with a personalized gift of either a tiny amber piece or a flower, a cup of herbal tea or a bottle of mineral water – these are the traditions of the port. Drop anchor in Klaipeda – a Lithuanian gem is waiting for you.

KLAIPEDA TO HOST CRUISE EUROPE AGM In May 2008 Cruise Europe will hold its Cruise Conference and its Annual General Meeting in Klaipeda. This will again provide the platform for cruise industry executives and representatives of Cruise Europe’s 100 port members to learn from each other and share developments and exchange best practice in order to improve service standards and enhance their marketability. All visitors will be greeted to a traditional Lithuanian welcome and experience the beauty of the region. 

USEFUL LINKS Port information: www.portofklaipeda.lt Tourist information: www.klaipedainfo.lt www.visitneringa.com and www.palangatic.lt

GENERAL INFORMATION Tourist information: On pier Transport: Taxis and limousines available Shopping: Akropolis mall & entertainment center Local currency: Lithuanian Litas Downtown: Within walking distance from Cruise Terminal Airport: Palanga International Airport (25 km)

PORT INFORMATION Port: Klaipeda State Seaport Authority Address: J. Janonio g. 24, LT-92251, Klaipeda, Lithuania Phone: +370 46 499 799 E-mail: [email protected] Fax: +370 46 499 777 Web: www.portofklaipeda.lt Time zone: GMT +2 (European Summer Time: GMT +3) ISPS 24 h contact: +370 46 499 645 or VHF ch 9 Maximum ships dimensions: Length: 315 m; Draft: 8.5 m; Beam: 45 m

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Travel Agents

Cruise training for travel agents By Maria Harding

‘E

ducainment’ – the multimedia presentation of training materials in flexible, fun and accessible formats – is the name of the game for cruise lines striving to capture the hearts and minds of travel agents in cruising’s second largest and fastestgrowing cruise market, the UK. With around 84 per cent of 2007’s estimated 1.35 million UK cruise bookings made via agents – increasing numbers of whom are turning to highyield cruise selling to balance declining income from other travel sectors – the rewards of ensuring they are well trained and product-aware are obvious. And cruise lines have been quick to court them, traditionally using workshops, road shows, in-house training days and other events to get their message across. Now cruise training is undergoing a sea change, as innovative approaches already pioneered in North America fuse with the development of the Internet, the I-pod, text messaging and other technology to revolutionise teaching methods. “Essentially, to make training effective we have to make it flexible, accessible and fun,” says Andy Harmer, director of the Passenger Shipping Association’s travel agent liaison and training offshoot ACE (the Association of Cruise Experts). “A lot of people are turned off by traditional classroom-style training, so

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if you have other tools available to help capture their imagination – be they vodcasts of familiarisation trips and ship visits, podcasts of interviews with cruise industry leaders or knowledge-reinforcing computer-based games and quizzes, it makes sense to use them.” Travel agencies pay £139 annually per branch for membership of ACE, while ‘satellite’ membership costs £59 for a range of training and other benefits, including ‘Watermark’ newsletters and other publications, invitations to Cruise Expo training events and a growing range of computer-based training facilities. For their part, agents seeking ‘ACE Cruise Expert’ accreditation must now score 100 ‘training points’ in their first year of membership, then keep up the good work by acquiring 50 more every year. Points are awarded for a range of activities, including completion of online modules, ship visits, familiarisation trips and the organising of local cruise promotional events. Harmer, whose background is in lecturing and TV training, joined the association formerly known as PSARA (the Passenger Shipping Association Retail Agents) scheme last year and almost immediately oversaw a namechange to the catchier ACE acronym and the launch of an annual cruise convention, which in 2008 will be held in

Southampton. His three-strong team have also made strides in revamping ACE training with more up-to-date presentations and a strong online presence enabling ‘anytime’ accessibility. A driving force in this has been the growing army of home workers running their own micro travel agencies under the auspices of umbrella organisations like Travel Counsellors and Future Travel. “ACE travel agency membership grew 45 per cent in 2007 and of the 500 or so new members, half were home workers,” Harmer says. “Clearly people operating as a oneman-band can’t keep shutting up shop to attend training sessions, so we’ve developed our online offering to allow them to design their own training schedule in the evenings, at weekends or whenever they have time to get online and learn.” ACE has four online training courses – Understanding Cruise, Selling Cruise, Selling Luxury Cruise and Selling Specialist and River Cruise – up and running, as well as a ‘Sail the Seven Seas’ animated introduction to learning about cruise. Eight new modules will go live in May, to coincide with the Southampton Cruise Convention, and recent innovations include the launch of downloadable podcast interviews and vodcast reports on

Travel Agents

industry developments, cruise events and familiarisation trips. “We want to ensure that whatever an agent’s level of cruise expertise, they’ll find something geared to them,” Harmer says. As well as generic training, the ACE site ww.cruiseexperts.org provides branded training from ACE’s 34 cruise line members. Carnival Cruise Lines and Holland America Line are the latest to offer training via the ACE site, and MSC Cruises will go live by the end of February 2008. Some lines, like luxury brand Silversea Cruises, have used the ACE site to ‘test drive’ online training before launching it on their own websites. Silversea, which launched a fourmodule programme with ACE in May 2007, has certificated more than 150 agents so far and has more working their way through the system. From March 2008 the training will be open to all travel agents via Silversea’s own website, and the line’s UK managing director Trudy Redfern says a new programme of prizes and incentives is being put together for agents who complete the course and successfully make a booking. Meanwhile cruising’s major players, including Royal Caribbean International, Norwegian Cruise Line and Carnival Corporation’s Carnival UK division – comprising P&O Cruises, Princess Cruises, Ocean Village and Cunard Line – have been forging ahead with interactive training developments of their own, many based on concepts already successful in the United States, where home workers make up around half of CLIA’s 16,000-strong travel agency membership. Norwegian Cruise Line, which relaunched its Cruise Academy online training programme in August 2007, is now introducing further enhancements including more vodcasts, more pictures and a more user-friendly design. “The revamped site features eight bite-sized modules agents can work through at their own pace, plus incentives ranging from a two-night stay in a UK hotel to a two-week Mediterranean cruise,” says UK MD Stephen Park. Such incentives are necessary, not least to encourage agents who work for big multiple agency chains like Thomson and Thomas Cook – and are not allowed Internet access during working hours – to visit cruise training sites in their own time. For the same reason, online training needs to be sharply presented and kept

to the point, Park says. “Interactive training is growing in importance for us as, although it can’t entirely replace onthe-road, face-to-face sales and training efforts, it’s invaluable from a resource and practicality point of view. “But it’s vital to keep the brand message consistent and to get the presentation right; it needs to be inspirational and entertaining, but also relevant and above all workable or agents won’t bother spending their own time on it.” Mark Pilkington, head of sales for Complete Cruise Solution, which represents the four Carnival UK brands, agrees that straightforward training without distractions is the way to go. “We actually toned down the ‘fun’ element of our Waves of Wisdom training site in response to agent feedback,” he says. “Initially there were games on there, but agents said they didn’t want them so we took them off, though we keep it lively with vodcasts, podcasts and bright, ‘bitesized’ modules, plus prizes and incentives for successful completion.” CCS also adds one module every month to help its 5,000 registered users continue expanding their knowledge, by looking at specific areas such as wedding and honeymoon cruises. Waves of Wisdom is accessible via CCS’s password-protected extranet site www.completecruisesolution.com, on which individual agencies or home workers can find elements specifically aimed at them. “Personalisation is an important element of communicating with agents online,” Pilkington says. “It can soften the ‘corporate’ feel of a site by providing an area in which the agent can read blogs from the sales team and find deals or messages specifically directed at them.” In line with current developments, a home workers’ area is a new and fastgrowing element of the CCS site, but such is the Carnival clout that employees of some ‘multiple’ travel agencies also have access to the main site, dedicated parts of which are cloned onto their inhouse systems.

But despite massive investment in online training and communications, Pilkington maintains that they will never be a substitute for face-to-face contact, the efficacy of which has been demonstrated by the drive to computerise bookings. “The most important thing for us is that agents can quickly and easily make a booking, and that’s where we have made the greatest progress with technology,” he says. “Five years ago nearly all our bookings came in by telephone; but we introduced online bookings in 2003 and have been training agents to use our online booking system, either by talking them through it on the phone or training them in-store – whatever it takes. “Now most agents book online and it’s particularly appealing for home workers because it’s not tied to office hours.” Royal Caribbean International has revamped its award-winning ‘Cruising for Excellence’ e-learning programme, with the introduction of a new passwordprotected ‘Captain’s Zone’ aimed at agents with more experience of selling cruise products. In September 2007, RCI introduced Virtual Training, which enables live conference calling so that agents can watch presentations and demonstrations and ask questions in real time. It also has a presence on the social networking site FaceBook. But training manager Michelle Russell says that, like CCS, the company also continues to be heavily involved in faceto-face training around the UK. “The interactive training offers great anytime access for home workers but we’re still doing lots of Cruising for Excellence live events – 13 are planning around the UK and Ireland this year – and they’re vital, as it’s at these that we pass on the automation training information that agents can use to follow up,” she says. “We’re also stepping up our mobile learning, which involves taking ‘internet cafés on wheels’ out to agents to build their confidence in using technology.” 

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Destination Porto More than three UNESCO World Heritage sites

D

estination Porto – North of Portugal is the birthplace of the Portuguese nation. The city centre has more than two thousand years of history and acts as a hub for the activities of its two million inhabitants who are spread over nine towns in the metropolitan area. The city’s architectural influences reflect the diverse cultural mix of those who have settled in the city over centuries. Porto’s historical centre is an UNESCO World Heritage Site and has been described as a “living museum” of alleys and stone-paved roadways, bars and restaurants, open-air spaces and traditional cafés, where artisans meet, as they have for centuries in an atmosphere of scents and feelings of the past. This coastal city is divided by the Douro river, with its six bridges – one of them designed by Gustav Eiffel – which connects the inhabitants to its markets and traditional shops, park and gardens, churches and monuments. The city’s festivals, golf courses help make Porto a city with an unmistakable atmosphere and style. Serralves and its Museum of Contemporary Art, Porto’s School of Architecture, the House of Music, the famous Ribeira quarter, the Port

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Wine Cellars, the Sé Cathedral with its thousand years of history, St. Francisco’s Church, St. Bento Railway Station and the Stock Exchange Palace are places and monuments of priority where visitors will experience classical and modern styles combined to perfection. Outside of the city boundaries, within an hour’s drive can be found an abundance of alternative sites to visit: • The Historical Centre of Guimarães, also classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO; • The interesting cities of Braga, Viana do Castelo, Ponte de Lima, Amarante and Aveiro; • Countless Manor Houses, Historic Hotels and Rural Guest Houses; • The largest concentration of spas in Portugal, namely Vidago Spa; • The Peneda Gerês National Park, the Côa Valley, one of the most important open-air archaeological parks in Europe; • Six Golf Courses and two Driving Ranges. The Douro Valley is classified as the oldest wine region of the world, where Port wine is produced, has also been given the title of a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. With its manmade

terraces, built by various generations, is an example of how man’s intervention can be compatible with nature. For all this the Porto and North of Portugal region is a multifarious tourist destination that evokes a sense of history, yet has its eyes set on the future. Port of Leixões announces new cruise terminal designed to be as luxurious as the cruise ships that visit As part of the Strategic Development Plan of the Port of Leixões, drawn up in 2004, recognition was given to the need for greater commercial efficiency of the Port and for improved urban integration. Amongst specific initiatives highlighted was a plan for the refurbishment of the South Mole, to include a new passenger terminal and the concession of complementary zones for this terminal. As a consequence a study has been competed to establish the precise details of the work and this has resulted in the project to include: • A new quay of 360m length and 18m width, enabling the mooring of cruise ships up to 300m long, with depths of -10m Z.H. in the water plane. In the future there will also be a reinforced mooring quay located adjacent of the south mole, with depths of -8.5m Z.H.;

• A Passenger terminal building, in the central building of the complex with separate areas for arrivals and departures, as well as work areas and offices. Fitted with several amenities for ships, either on a transit call or completing turnarounds, it will include a shopping centre floor and a restaurant floor with an outdoor stage/patio and spectator stand on the roof; • A Nautical recreational port, for 200 vessels, with a dry zone and essential support services for vessels as well as amenities and functions to support the crew and seafarers, under the station building; • Direct access to the city (public corridor on a low level and pedestrian corridor/bicycle lane at a an upper level); • Parking for coaches and cars along the mole and indoor covered parking for 142 vehicles.

is surrounded by the cities of Leça da Palmeira, in the north, and Matosinhos in the south. The Port of Leixões remains the third largest Portugese port in terms of cruise traffic and the fifth in terms of passenger numbers. The city benefits from a tourist hinterland with high-interest due to its distinctive attractions. There is an excellent range of high quality and large capacity hotels located close to an international airport which connects the

North West peninsula to the main cities of Europe and the Americas to such cities as: Lisbon, Madrid, Barcelona, Paris, London, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, New York, Rio de Janeiro. Furthermore its location in the Atlantic front makes it an ideal stop over for repositioning cruises between the Mediterranean and Northern Europe. And the port is well placed to act as turnarounds for shorter cruises of 4 or 5 days. 

The design for the new cruise terminal at the Port of Leixões

The Port of Leixões Strategically positioned on the Iberian Peninsula, the Port of Leixões is the major port infrastructure on the North Portugese coast. It is situated 2.5 miles north of the Douro River mouth and within the proximity of Oporto, and

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BORNHOLM - D

ANISH ISLAND IN THE

THE

BALTIC SEA

C H A R M A N D AT M O S P H E R E O F A V I B R A N T I S L A N D C O M M U N I T Y

Unwind at - THE PORT OF RØNNE 15 0 E

The Port of Rønne welcomes you with open arms! - We're here to serve you

55 0 N

RØNNE HAVN A/S PORT OF RØNNE LTD Munch Petersens Vej 2 P. O. Box 47 · DK-3700 Rønne Tel.: +45-56 95 06 78 Fax: +45-56 95 06 31 A.o.: +45-51 36 37 47 E-mail: [email protected] Web site: www.roennehavn.dk

Executive Commentary

Luxury goes exploring I

n 2007, Regent Seven Seas Cruises our 2008 targets have been reached. We emphasized the core elements that have experienced a particularly good have made our company successful response to our summer cruise and land since its inception in 1995. Regent offered programmes in Alaska and Europe. a diverse selection of luxurious journeys Our 2008 schedule also reflects a to far-flung global destinations in 2007, growing desire among Regent guests and not surprisingly experienced a very for longer, more richly nuanced successful year, with occupancies and journeys. Thus we have updated the fall yields that set company records and led to schedule for 490-guest, all-suite Seven our best-ever profits. Seas Navigator with a new ‘Discovery By continuing to focus on our Collection’ of voyages. This 82-night outstanding service levels, deluxe facilities series of sybaritic sailings will call at and amenities, and stimulating and ports in Africa, the Arabian Gulf, the enlightening onboard and shore-side Caribbean, India, the Middle East and programming, we believe Regent remains South America. The Discovery Collection well positioned to extend its positive will replace the fall Caribbean series and results through 2008 and beyond. one fall transatlantic crossing traditionally One clear indication of the success of offered by Regent. Regent in 2007 was the recent acquisition We also announced late last year that of our cruise line by Apollo Management Regent will offer two World Cruise LP, a multibillion-dollar private equity itineraries in 2009, aboard the 700-guest, investment firm based in New all-suite, all-balcony Seven York. Clearly, Apollo views Our 2008 Seas Voyager and 700-guest, the successful operation as an all-suite, all-balcony Seven schedule attractive investment. Apollo Seas Mariner. This landmark also reflects a has created Prestige Cruise deployment makes Regent the Holdings, as a corporate first luxury cruise operator growing desire umbrella group that includes ever to offer two global winter among Regent Regent and Oceania Cruises. cruises in the same year. Seven guests for However, both brands Seas Voyager will embark on longer, more will continue to operate a 116-night January journey richly nuanced independently. to the South Pacific, Orient, Looking ahead in 2008, the Arabia, the Mediterranean journeys. outlook remains bright for and Bermuda, while Seven Seas Regent. To date, our revenues Mariner will depart two weeks are 10% ahead of the same later for a 121-night sojourn period in 2007, and 85% of to South America, French

Polynesia, Australia, Southeast Asia, China, Japan, Russia and Alaska. One of the By Mark Conroy, many benefits of President, Regent Apollo’s purchase Seven Seas Cruises of Regent is the prospect of ordering a new ship. We last introduced a ship, Seven Seas Voyager, in 2003. A new-ship order could take place later this year, with delivery expected in 2011. In addition to offering our past guests even more voyage options, a new ship will also increase our company’s revenues and profitability, and attract a new generation of guests. We expect a new Regent ship would be around the same size and guest capacity as our existing 700-passenger ships. The vessel would also feature standard suites of about 485 square feet, up from the current 375 square feet. We also looking at creating single staterooms, and the new ship is likely to have more dining venues and options and a much larger spa. Buoyed by a record-setting 2007 and encouraged by similarly strong results thus far in 2008, Regent continues to be firmly positioned as a standard-bearer in the luxury cruise marketplace. We continue to fulfil our brand promise of ‘Luxury Goes Exploring’. 

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Executive Commentary

Holland America Line

continues to evolve in 2008 H

olland American Line had an exceptional year in 2007, from the continued execution and elevation of the Signature of Excellence enhancements to the fleet and the introduction of new dining programs, to offering some of the most popular cruises in the industry. As we navigate into 2008, we have a lot to look forward to.

Signature of Excellence Tops $425 Million

Providing more options for our guests has been a hallmark of our Signature of Excellence program. Since announcing its $225 million Signature of Excellence program in November 2003, Holland America Line has committed another $200 million to enhance its ships, expand activities and introduce more amenities to its premium brand. Notable elements of Signature of Excellence include the Culinary Arts Center presented by Food & Wine magazine – a state-of-the-art onboard show kitchen where guest chefs and culinary experts provide cooking demonstrations and classes – Explorations Café powered by The New York Times and teens-only, “adult-free” activity areas. Across the fleet, standard stateroom amenities now include flat-panel television sets, make-up mirrors, stainlesssteel ice bucket and tray, high-threadcount cotton linens, large fluffy cotton towels, deluxe bathrobes and plush Eurotop Mariner’s Dream Beds It also includes major changes to the Vista-class ships which began in April 2007 when ms Westerdam added 34 staterooms, a Pinnacle Bar, new shops, and an Explorations Café in the Crow’s Nest. Similar additions will be completed on ms Zuiderdam in May 2008 and on ms Oosterdam in May 2009. The fourth Vista ship, ms Noordam, was delivered with all Signature of Excellence enhancements in

place. Also at year’s end, ms Prinsendam completed refurbishments that include new luxury bathrooms in all staterooms, the addition of the Explorations Café powered by the New York Times, expanded and refurbished shopping promenade, and new carpets and stone flooring. Through Signature of Excellence, the Holland America Line fleet has logged more than 350 days in dry dock receiving enhancements ranging from the simple – loading of new plush pillows – to the structural – adding 34 new staterooms to the aft superstructure of the early Vista-class ships. Workers will have put in more than 10 million hours on the ships. As You Wish Dining also signals recent changes being made in programming and dining options. The new program will roll out completely in the fleet by mid 2008 and enables guests to choose from the best of both worlds: either traditional pre-set seating at two dining times or a completely flexible dining schedule. Sailing the World Deployment continues to be a point of differentiation for Holland America Line. We are featuring an impressive nine maiden ports of call in our European season alone in 2008: Luleä, Hudiksvall and Karlskrona, Sweden; Aalborg, Denmark; Newcastle upon Tyne and Barrow in Furness, England; Santander, Spain; Portimao, Portugal; and Split, Croatia. With most major lines offering just a few maiden calls each year, we continue to offer our guests new adventures on global itineraries by adding between 20 and 30 new ports of call globally every year. In response to the demand for Panama Canal and Caribbean cruises, we have redeployed ms Zuiderdam to 10-day

By Stein Kruse President and Chief Executive Officer Holland America Line

Panama Canal Sunfarer cruises in December. Not only will guests have the opportunity to do a partial transit of the Panama Canal, but the ship also will call at Half Moon Cay, our award-winning private island and a perennial guest favorite. Looking Forward to the ms Eurodam

As our newest ship, ms Eurodam will inaugurate the Signature Class of vessels for Holland America Line. At 2,104 passengers, it will be filled with exciting innovations. ms Eurodam’s additional deck allows the ship to have 63 more staterooms than the latest Vista-class ship; 47 of which will be verandah staterooms and 10 that will be a new style of stateroom with curved verandahs. One of the most anticipated additions is the introduction of Tamarind, a 144-seat Pan-Asian restaurant with a 50-seat lounge surrounded by panoramic views overlooking the ocean expanse and Lido pool area. Other new features include an Explorer’s Lounge Bar, a new specialty restaurant adjacent to the Lido offering traditional Italian cuisine called Canalleto, elegant luxury jewelry boutiques, a new atrium bar area, an enhanced and reconfigured show lounge with theaterstyle seating and a new photographic and imaging center. I invite readers to check out our Eurodam News Blog at www. eurodamnews.com to follow the planning and construction of our latest ship. By dedicating ourselves to programs such as Signature of Excellence, evolving ship designs and unique new itineraries, Holland America Line remains at the forefront of the premium cruise market and brings innovative ideas and programs to its guests and the entire industry. And that is where we firmly intend to remain for a long time to come. 

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Executive Commentary

The renaissance of the

Golden Age

of ocean liner travel continues...

2

007 was another milestone year for Cunard. A new ship came into service, we announced that a ship would leave the fleet in 2008, and an order was confirmed for her replacement. On top of that we achieved our best ever guest satisfaction scores on Queen Mary 2, our flagship, and celebrated QE2’s 40th anniversary voyage with a ‘lap of honour’ round the UK. Preparations for Queen Victoria, our newest Classic Cunarder, continued with successful sea trials in August, a magnificent handover ceremony in November in the presence of the Italian Prime Minister, Sig. Prodi, and it all culminated in a spectacular naming ceremony on 10th December in Southampton, when in front of over 2,000 guests from around the world, HRH The Duchess of Cornwall – in the presence of her husband, HRH The Prince of Wales – named our ship, after touring the vessel and meeting many of her officers and crew. Queen Victoria has been very well received, especially her interior décor which is very much along the lines of a traditional Cunard liner, with grand double and triple height elegant public areas. We announced in June that QE2 would be leaving our fleet in November 2008, to become a luxury hotel and entertainment centre in Dubai. We are delighted that the ship will be preserved for future generations to admire, and look forward to future ‘Meetings of the Queens’, as our other

vessels pass through Dubai. She has been our longest serving Cunard vessel ever and will be 41 years young when she leaves us! Shortly after announcing her departure, we released for sale four farewell voyages including the final voyage to Dubai, which sold out in 36 minutes! It was October, just four months later, when we announced that Cunard would be building a new ship, Queen Elizabeth, and that she would be joining the fleet in Autumn 2010. She will be a sister ship to Queen Victoria, and be built by Fincantieri at their Monfalcone yard. However, she will have some differences, as we evolve our successful Cunard formula still further. In September, we set off from Southampton on QE2’s 40th anniversary ‘lap of honour’ round Britain. We had a great send-off with a lunch on board for many friends of Cunard, with Baroness Thatcher as our Guest of Honour. What followed was eight spectacular days of wonderful welcomes, guests on board for celebration lunches and firework farewells as we worked our way from one port to another. A highlight of the voyage was being in Greenock 40 years to the day after Her Majesty the Queen named the ship, with a display from the Red Arrows and crowds lining the shores to see QE2 come home. In Liverpool all the ship’s guests attended a celebration concert in the Anglican Cathedral, with The Scots Guards, Liverpool Philharmonic

Orchestra, Lesley Garrett, Carol Thatcher and the inimitable Sir Jimmy Savile – there was not a dry eye in the house! We finished the By Carol Marlow, voyage by passing President and Managing Queen Mary 2 at Director, Cunard Line sea off the south coast, with both vessels sounding their whistles in greeting! On 13th January of this year, we celebrated yet another historic Cunard event. All three Cunard Queens met for the first and last time ever. It happened in New York, the port which Cunard has used continuously for the longest period of time – in fact since 1847. All three Queens arrived together and processed in under the Verrazano Bridge, one after the other – and left again that evening to a fanfare of fireworks and music as they passed the Statue of Liberty – a photo that appeared in the world’s press just hours later. And all the while Queen Mary 2 continues to delight her guests with excellent service, as she grows the transatlantic market, proving to all that the renaissance of the Golden Age of Transatlantic Travel really is here to stay! 

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Stockholm – For great cruises!

Now it’s easier than ever to arrive in Stockholm – the Capital of Scandinavia. We have built one of the most modern cruise terminals in the Baltic area with a taste of Scandinavian design. Everything you need is here. In a 3000 square-metre area we have housed an arrival lounge, customs, baggage handling facilities, tourist information center, shops, café, and Internet access. Welcome to Stockholm

Visit us at the Seatrade Cruise Shipping Convention 2008. Booth: 401

Executive Commentary

The expanding world of Seabourn

P

eople often say that global are the places that most of our guests communications and the ease of have never heard of, but that they will travel are effectively making the never forget once they visit them. In world smaller. I prefer to think of the conversations with well-travelled guests world as expanding, because so much on board, I am struck by how much more of the planet is accessible for leisure more vivid and exciting their tales exploration by travellers. are about those sorts of places than As Seabourn’s fleet expands, starting when they talk about the big cities that with the debut of Seabourn Odyssey in June appear in bold type on maps. I think of 2009 and continuing with two other it’s because, when travellers arrive new sisters in 2010 and 2011, we are also at a famous landmark city like, say, expanding our world, to provide more Venice or London, they come with a guests with a wider range of appealing lot of expectations already established travel experiences than ever before. in their minds. So they see what they Seabourn has explored virtually all of expect, and while the experience may the world’s cruising regions over the be impressive and memorable, it lacks past two decades, but there are certainly the spark of discovery and surprise that many appealing destinations within they feel when they explore places about those regions which are worthy of more which they have no prior knowledge exposure to cruise guests, and with more or expectations. That’s why we are ships, we can offer more of them to our continually spicing our itineraries with guests. authentic, interesting places that exist Selling travel to desirable in between the names in bold destinations is Seabourn’s type on the map. Selling stock in trade. We have An example is the western travel built our loyal clientele by European coast between to desirable providing worldwide travel Lisbon in the South and both experiences in a gracious, the United Kingdom and the destinations pleasurable style. Our entry to the Baltic. Seabourn is Seabourn’s cruise itineraries, which has traditionally sailed this stock in trade are masterfully designed coastline once or twice a by our director of itinerary year as a positioning cruise development and land between the Mediterranean operations, Peter Cox, and the Baltic, which is what feature a mix of well-known, most other ships do as well. marquee ports and the Because of the intimate scale lesser-known spots we call of our Seabourn yachts, we Seabourn Secrets. These last can also go up the rivers

and visit ports like Bordeaux, Nantes and Rouen where bigger ships can’t go. But we recently By Pamela C. Conover created some President & Chief new itineraries Executive Officer, to take Seabourn Cruise Line advantage of the interesting destinations in that region. So this year we added three more voyages in that area, adding calls in France, Ireland, an overnight stay in Amsterdam and Antwerp, Belgium, which is an example of a cruise port with a lot to offer. It’s the hub of the world diamond trade. It also has museums covering topics from the first industrial printing plant to fashion and musical instruments, plus great art by native son Peter Paul Rubens. The cruises also visit interesting places such as Pembroke, Wales; Liverpool; St. Mary’s in the Isles of Scilly and St. Peter Port on Guernsey. We are investing in developing the market for cruising in this region. Surprise has always been a part of the Seabourn experience. Our staffs are always striving to surprise and delight our guests with an extra touch they didn’t expect. It is a very effective way to create a luxury experience on board, and we believe in taking that same approach when we are selecting ports to visit. 

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One operator - Four countries DMC - Chile, Denmark, Estonia, Sweden DMC was founded in 1983 and is today a major cruise passenger operator with offices in the Baltic Region and South America.

Skiing, winetasting or enjoying the stunning nature - all is possible in Chile

Unique meeting facilities, great atmosphere and serious shopping in hip Copenhagen

Feel the wings of history in stunning Tallinn with authentic medieval buildings

Beauty on water and Nobel dinner in stylish Stockholm

As your professional incoming partner, DMC will gladly take care of all arrangements in connection with innovative incentive programmes, product launches, study tours, corporate meetings, conferences, groups and FIT’s, as well as cruise passenger programmes. For further information and assistance, please contact our Copenhagen office.

:HIDC>6

Groenningen 15 // 1270 Copenhagen K // Denmark // Tel: +45 3312 1200 // Fax: +45 3312 1211 // [email protected]//www.dmc-cph.dk

8=>A:

Executive Commentary

After an eight year absence

Thomson Caribbean is returning to the

David Selby, Managing Director, Thomson Cruises

A

fter fter ft er aan n ei eight igh ght ye yyear aarr aabsence, bsen bs ence ence ce, ce, Th Thom hom omsso son Cr son C rui uisees iss rreturning eturrni et ning ng tto o Thomson Cruises the Caribbean and there’s more significant change to come explains Managing Director David Selby. “Next December, Thomson Cruises, part of the TUI Travel organisation based in the UK, will commence operations from La Romana in the Dominican Republic after an absence of eight years. “We operated Emerald, a 1,000 berth ship, using Barbados as the home port. This time we are going in with Thomson Destiny (formerly Sunbird, Song of America) at 1,450 lower berths, with a mixture of British and Canadian passengers, sourced from our sister company Signature Vacations from near Toronto.

Thom Th omso s n Cr so Crui uise sess iss ffai a rl rlyy un uniq ique ue. It is Thomson Cruises fairly unique. inte in tegr grat ated ed iinto nto nt o th the fa fabr b ic of its parent integrated fabric company TUI Travel, which also owns nearly 1,000 travel retail outlets, operates 76 of its own aircraft in the UK and has the most visited travel web platform in the country. Thomson Cruises operates five ships, which outside the big three corporations is fairly substantial. “We will call at 113 different ports this year. However, in terms of passenger volume, the cruising operation accounts for a fairly small proportion of the total passengers carried” said Selby. “This means we get the benefits of scale of the parent company’s operations. For example, our Western Mediterranean itineraries commence and finish in Palma De THE BENEFITS OF VERTICAL INTEGRATION Majorca. The cruise operation shares a “Our aim is simple. We wish to profitably basket of flight seats of the company’s own maintain clear market leadership in the airline, from a choice of 22 UK airports. 3-star plus UK cruise market, Seats are sold on a first-comeby offering the widest choice first served basis – usually from We are of destinations and departure a channel of owned distribution. probably Therefore the group takes a points, on a platform of the world service excellence and value financial contribution at each stage for money. Our service levels leader in the of the customer journey and at the are significantly above the same time, our distribution costs cruise and rating of the hardware. We are extremely low. stay concept can do this as the hardware is Thomson Cruises has pushed of relatively low book value, the boundaries with itineraries. and so we heavily invest For example, in 2005 it was the in the “softer” elements first cruise operator to feature of the cruise experience, regular itineraries around the Red for example dining and Sea, featuring ports in Egypt and entertainment” Jordan. Petra in Jordan is often As a cruise operator, described as the eighth Wonder

of the World. The most accessible way to get there is not to fly fly into Jordan however, which has limited access, but arriving on the Thomson Celebration (formerly Noordam) cruiseship from Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt, a popular hotspot with British holidaymakers, to which one can fly from 10 UK departure points. It is no wonder that with 25,000 visitors per year, Thomson Cruises is the UK market leader to Jordan. “We are probably the world leader in the cruise and stay concept, and by that I mean the combination of a week’s cruise with a week in a hotel that is used in the main Thomson beach holiday programme, usually by the beach. We now offer this type of holiday in Majorca, Tenerife and Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands, the Portugese island of Madeira, Sharm El Sheikh, the Halkidiki area of mainland Greece and the popular Greek island of Corfu, not to mention the Dominican Republic next winter. This type of holiday is very popular with first-time cruisers, who may not be totally sold on cruising to start with, by allowing them to try a cruise, without feeling they might waste their precious fortnight away. A WIDE BASE OF CUSTOMERS Ships vary in size from the 1450 lower berth Thomson Destiny, to the relatively tiny Calypso at 486 lower berths, introduced last year. The latter is reserved for adults only, and was an absolute hit. Where the Thomson Destiny is more deck parties, production shows and

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Executive Commentary

comedians, the Calypso is more drinks at sunset, plays and port lecturers. Due to its small size, it can get to ports that other ships can’t reach. It operates three 7-night itineraries starting from the Greek city of Thessalonika. The first itinerary sails around the Black Sea and takes in The Ukraine, Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey, the second sails through the Corinth Canal and up the Adriatic Sea to Montenegro and the third sails around the Greek Islands. “We were amazed at how many school teachers sailed on the ship during the school holiday month of August!”

aircraft, which are based in Canada during the winter months. “We are very pleased to be using our own aircraft which have a wider seatpitch on long-haul in economy than both British Airways and Virgin, and with “rewind and pause” seatback TVs” said Selby. Increasing Long Haul business is part of the overall strategy of TUI and we will be the first UK company to operate the new Boeing 787 Dream-Liner in 2010, which is around 25% more fuel efficient than the typical modern jet aircraft of today.

WORKING WITH OTHER CRUISELINES ROLL ON THE CARIBBEAN Thomson is in the cruise business not The Thomson Destiny arrives in the just through Thomson Cruises. Through Caribbean region on December 15th this its 1,000 shop network, Thomson is the year to start its season of sailings from largest retailer of cruising in the UK. “We La Romana starting with the Christmas sell all the major cruiselines” said Selby. cruise on 21st December. The season will “At the end of the day, if competitor consist of two itineraries, which can be cruiselines are there to operate, I would taken separately, combined to make a 14 rather see a cruise be sold by Thomson night cruise, or combined with a week’s than any other retailer”. In addition, the stay at one of 14 hotels in the region. TUI Airline, Thomsonfly, flies more In the first week, the ship calls at St. cruise passengers to the Caribbean than Lucia, Barbados, Guadeloupe, St.Kitts, any other airline. “We are pleased to and Tortola before returning to La provide the airlift for all the Carnival Romana. Then it’s off to Grenada, brands, Royal Caribbean and Fred Olsen, Dominica, Antigua, St. Maarten and and their custom is extremely important to us. Tortola before returning to base. The airline can adapt its service according to We have weekly flights the specification of each cruiseline.” served from London, Although Lastly, the group owns a range Birmingham and Manchester of destination service agents for we’ve in the UK and then we cruiselines including InterCruises, added an operated what we call a as well as companies throughout the “Rover” flight from one of average of one world that fall under the “All4Ships” a range of regional airports ship per year brand umbrella. “Its sometimes hard each week including Cardiff, to keep up” said Selby. to the fleet in Glasgow, Edinburgh, East Of the future, Selby would not the last three be drawn, except to say that 2008 Midlands and Bournemouth years, I think on the south coast of and 2009 are going to be years of England. One can also there is more significant change in the business. add Toronto, Montreal, “Although we’ve added an average change to Winnipeg and Vancouver, of one ship per year to the fleet in come using some of the same the last three years, I think there is aforementioned 76 UK more change to come.” 

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Executive Commentary

Looking back on

By Bob Dickinson Retired President Carnival Cruise Lines

35 years of fun U

pon my retirement in November profitable. after 35 years at Carnival Cruise Over the years, this success allowed Lines – including the last 14 as its us to expand our business, including president and CEO – it’s appropriate to investing billions in new ship construction look back at the many changes that our – with a remarkable 24 ships introduced company and industry have undergone over the past 25 years. These ‘floating during the past three-and-a-half decades. resorts’ – which got progressively larger In 1972, when I first joined Carnival and more elaborate over time – helped Cruise Lines– then a struggling, singlechange the perception of cruising, ship cruise line established by visionary with luxurious spas, myriad dining and entrepreneur Ted Arison – cruising was entertainment venues and expansive considered an elitist vacation for the rich, facilities for children and teens. something that wealthy retirees aspired Today, Carnival Cruise Lines is the to in their twilight years. It certainly was largest, most popular and most profitable not the mainstream vacation choice that cruise line in the world, carrying 3.6 it is today. million guests a year on 22 modern ‘Fun Carnival’s original “Fun Ship” – called Ships.’ The company’s expansion will the Mardi Gras – was a refurbished ocean continue with the launch of three new liner and offered very little in terms of ships between now and 2011. amenities and facilities. It was, however, Carnival Cruise Lines’ success also laid a fun and relaxing shipboard experience the foundation for the creation of Carnival vastly different from what was being Corporation & plc; a multi-line cruise offered by other cruise lines. conglomerate traded on both the New York Seizing an opportunity, as Carnival’s and London stock exchanges that operates executive vice president, I came up with a diverse portfolio of brands throughout the idea of marketing the ship as the North America, Europe and Australia. destination – definitely a groundbreaking And while Carnival’s innovative idea for the time. Thus, the ‘Fun Ship’ marketing approach and investment in marketing strategy was born. new ship construction are important to One of the key foundations to the company’s success, our commitment Carnival’s success is that to providing guests with relaxing, we realized, early on, the satisfying and memorable I came importance of defining vacations is what really has enabled up with ourselves as being in the our company to grow and prosper. the idea of vacation business – rather If guests aren’t having fun on than just the cruise business – marketing the vacation, we are out of business! which enabled us to reach out ship as the Looking back, cruising has to those consumers who had undergone some of the most destination. never considered cruising as a dramatic changes of any leisure Thus, the viable vacation option. travel sector over the past 35 years. Employing this innovative ‘Fun Ship’ And although much has changed, marketing philosophy – and one constant has been the support marketing lots of hard work from a of the travel agent community, strategy was dedicated team of employees, which continues to account for the of course – Carnival began to born. majority of cruise line bookings. turn the corner and become Granted, the distribution channels

have certainly evolved with the advent of the Internet, but the knowledge and expertise provided by travel agents remain an important part of the cruise purchasing process. And although I am leaving Carnival after 35 years, my retirement will enable me to focus more of my efforts on an organization that I have been involved with for many years – Camillus House, a local homeless assistance programme in Miami, where I serve as the chairman for its board of directors. I am working with a very dedicated group of individuals here in South Florida on a wide-ranging project whose goal is to eradicate chronic homelessness in Miami-Dade County. We’re in the midst of a capital campaign to raise $88 million – $40 million of which is coming from the private sector and is the primary focus of my involvement. This $88 million in funds will enable Camillus House to build a campustype facility that will provide drug and alcohol rehabilitation, mental health treatment, job training and placement, and permanent housing; helping residents achieve independence and become productive members of society. Once this campus is up and running in early 2008, we expect our project will serve as a model for other communities across the country. There’s no doubt in my mind that we will be successful in achieving our goal of eradicating chronic homelessness in Miami in 10 years. In my 35 years in the cruise industry, I’ve worked with some incredibly talented individuals who have a passion to create wonderful vacation memories for our guests. It has truly been an honour to work alongside these outstanding professionals and I cherish all the memories I have as I move on to this next chapter of my life. 

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Bergen

B

ergen is the Gateway to the famous Fjords of Norway – situated to the south of the King of the fjords and to the north of the Queen of the fjords – Sognefjord, the world’s longest at 204km, and Hardangerfjord respectively. Bergen is a beautiful international town with charm and atmosphere. The city, with its 240,000 inhabitants, is surrounded by seven mountains overlooking the sea. The museums and galleries of the historic old parts of town keep both art and its ancestral heritage alive. And as the port is within walking distance of the city centre it is easy to experience the living history of this modern city. Along the harbour is the Bryggen – the most intact example of a group of wooden houses representative of an architectural tradition, which dates back almost nine hundred years. It’s listed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List – as are the fjords, which are the most recent addition to the list. Bergen has also been a European City of Culture in part due to the renowned composer Edvard Grieg, the international solo violinist Ole Bull and the composer Harald Sæverud who called the city their home.

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Highlights Bryggen – a World Heritage Site Bryggen has been the nerve centre of the city for centuries and the silhouette of its ancient gables is perhaps the most familiar image from the

Middle Age in all Norway – a living historical area of the city. Fløybanen Funicular A five-minute ride to the top of Mount Fløyen (320 m.a.s.l.) gives a magnificent view over Bergen.

Port facilities Port of Bergen can accommodate 7-8 ships of medium size simultaneously. Maritime and technical services, provisions, supplies and consumables, transport and operations, tourism, shore-excursions, and support organisations available. Bergen – an ideal choice for a part or full changeover of passengers • Good infrastructure • Save more than two days’ North Sea crossing. • Passengers can enjoy more time to enjoy the scenery and cultural life. • Sheltered waters. • Tax-free deliveries for Norway-only cruises.

Bergen Cable Car Ulriken The Ulriksbanen cable brings you to the top of Mount Ulriken (642 m.a.s.l.), which has Bergen’s most magnificent view of the fjord, island and coast. Wooden houses Small wooden houses painted lovingly in bright colours are a very special feature of Bergen. The Old Bergen Museum An open-air museum with more than 40 wooden houses, representative of Bergen architecture and interiors in the 18th 19th centuries. The Fish Market An abundance of fish, flowers, fruit, vegetables and souvenirs.

the emigrant church, Brampton Lutheran Church, brought over from North Dakota in the USA and an emigration archive for Hordaland and Sogn og Fjordane. Four commemorative stones have been erected in connection with North American history and the Norwegian contribution during World War II. One stone shows the connection to the Western Isles of Viking times. A schoolhouse, a pioneer’s house and schoolteacher’s house from pioneer times have also been brought home and rebuilt. A town hall, prison and doctor’s surgery opened in summer 2002. www.utvandringssenter.no Sightseeing by boat See the famous west coast scenery with its steep mountains, towering cliffs, and narrow fjords.

Fjord Cruise and music Fjord Cruise and fishing Golf: Meland Golf Club – 18-hole golf course, one of Europe’s best newly established venues, set among 225 acres of forests, lakes and mountains. The benefits of combining Bergen’s historic and cultural city life with the experiences of Fjord Norway’s stunning scenery include: • Unique nature and beautiful scenery • Fresh air and clean water • Mild summer climate • Long summer days and short summer nights • 16-20 hours daylight each day • Safety on shore – safety at sea • A quiet corner of the world • Interesting and wellorganised shore excursions • Profitable product • Highly satisfied passengers. 

Bergen Aquarium One of the finest and most extensive collections of marine fauna in Europe. Shopping Tourists will find plenty of tempting shops – from the small and specialised to a large department store. There are also several interesting pedestrian shopping streets as well as large shopping centres. Most of the shops that stock local arts and crafts and souvenirs are situated on Bryggen. Western Norway Emigration Center The Western Norway Emigration Centre (Vestnorsk Utvandringssenter) includes

Contact details Port of Bergen Nøstegaten 30, P.O.Box 6040, N-5892 Bergen Tel: +47 5556 8950 Fax: +47 5556 8986 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.bergenhavn.no www.visitbergen.com

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Holland

Amsterdam Your central, efficient and convenient hub to Holland and the rest of Europe

Amsterdam Cruise Port t +31 (0)20 551 25 57

i www.amsterdamcruiseport.com

Felison Terminal t +31 (0)255 54 54 54

i www.felisonterminal.com

Passenger Terminal Amsterdam t +31 (0)20 509 10 00

i www.ptamsterdam.com

Costa at 60

Costa celebrates

60 YEARS

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Costa at 60

The remarkable transformation of a family company into a global cruise brand carrying over 1 million passengers a year As Costa marks its diamond anniversary Chris Ashcroft visits their Genoa headquarters to catch up with six executives, with 200 years service between them, to find their enthusiasm and passion undiminished.

C

osta has travelled a long way since the 12,030gt Anna C set sail for Buenos Aires, Argentina on March 31, 1948 – and not just in sea miles. Its 60 years in passenger shipping has seen it expand from the Europe-South America migrant run into the emerging cruise sector, changing names between Costa Line/Linea C and now Costa Crociere, and also ownership (from the Costa family to Carnival Corporation via a joint Carnival/Airtours takeover) in the process. In those 60 years, it has operated more than 31 liners and cruise ships and currently has another five cruise ships on the order books. It has carried millions of passengers and topped 1m in a single year for the first time in 2007. It is a remarkable transformation for a family company set up shortly after the unification of Italy and which operated its first ship (Ravenna) in 1924. From then until World War II, it operated a fleet of cargo ships transporting olives and other produce around the Mediterranean. But, with nearly its entire fleet lost during WWII, it had to start again and, although it stayed in the cargo trades for many years to come, it was the passenger

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shipping business which was increasingly to become the heartbeat of the company as the decades passed. Anna C (formerly Furness Prince Line’s Southern Prince) and the smaller (8,604t) Andrea C (built as a war-time freighter for the British Government) were initially used only on the South America run (where they were joined by another former freighter, Franca C) but later became part of the growing cruise fleet. By the 1960s, Anna C was making three and four-day cruises (costing passengers from $59) out of Florida’s Port Everglades, and she later switched to weekly Mediterranean cruises from Genoa. Andrea C first cruised out of Rio but ended her days sailing weekly out of Venice in the late 1970s. Carrying 354 one-class passengers, Franca C was the first Costa vessel to operate purely as a cruise ship, though. She was converted for the purpose in 1959 and, after initially cruising from Port Everglades, later inaugurated the North American industry’s first flycruise programme with sailings out of San Juan, Puerto Rico in 1968. The year before Franca C became a cruise ship, Costa introduced its

first newbuild – the 20,400gt Federico C. Built at the Ansaldo yards in Genoa (also builder of several iconic transatlantic liners such as Andrea Doria for Italian Line), this was originally configured as a three-class ship for 1,279 passengers travelling to and from South America. But, by 1970, she was a one-class ship for 800 passengers which then spent the next 13 years cruising both the Mediterranean and Caribbean. It was the same story for the next new flagship, the 30,500gt Eugenio C. She was the last to be built (in 1966) specifically for the South America service – with 1,636 berths spread across three classes. But she was soon combining the liner service with long winter cruises, including the line’s first world cruises (from 1977) and, by the 1980s, she was a full-time cruise ship spending the summers in the Mediterranean. In the meantime, Costa was busily growing its fleet with the acquisition of five ships (Bianca C, Enrico C, Carla C, Flavia and Italia) which were to be used extensively on cruise schedules although two (Carla C and Italia) also spent time on charter to Princess Cruises. In fact, it was on Carla C that the

Costa at 60

author Jeraldine Saunders wrote the first chapters of what became “The Love Boat”, the TV series which played a major part in popularising cruising across North America. In 1979, Costa chartered Daphne and Danae, the two high quality cruise ships converted by Greek tycoon John Carras for his own start-up, which was supposed to combine with the land resort (Porto Carras) he had created near his home town in Northern Greece. Five years later, Costa bought the ships outright and cruised them in Alaska and the Caribbean as well as the Mediterranean. Other ships operated by Costa in the late 1970s and early 1980s included Columbus C, Costa Riviera (formerly the famous liner Guglielmo Marconi), and World Renaissance. By that stage, it was clear that cruising was the future and so, in 1986, the company was renamed Costa Crociere SpA, and so a process began which saw its fleet transformed and expanded – at first gradually but later at an increasingly rapid pace. Costa Marina (1990) and Costa Allegra (1992) were added in the early 1990s, and both featured a futuristic cutaway stern

with a glass wall affording natural light (Airtours) to buy Costa in 1997. into the public rooms. Carnival took full control in 2000 But these ships were still in the and the arrival that same year of the 30,000gt/1,000-passenger range and the 85,700gt/2,680-passenger Costa Atlantica major step forward for Costa came with was a clear signal of intent. It wanted the building of two sister ships – Costa Costa to emulate the success of Carnival Classica (1991) and Costa Romantica (1993) Cruise Lines – the largest cruise brand – which both measured 53,000gt and not just in North America but in the carried nearly 1,700 passengers. world. The much smaller (12,000gt) Costa In the next eight years, seven more Playa was acquired along with Mermoz Costa ships were introduced. The first with the purchase of Paquet Cruises in two (Costa Europa and Costa Tropicale) 1993, but Costa was still thinking big and were switched from other Carnival brands in 1996 the 75,200gt/2,394with the latter later switching passenger Costa Victoria arrived again to P&O Australia but the The and wowed everybody with its next five were all newbuilds major futuristic observation lounge and of increasing size. Costa step forward and nod to classic liner travel Mediterranea (2003) was a for Costa in the inclusion of an indoor sister to Costa Atlantica, while swimming pool. came with the Costa Fortuna (2003) and Costa Not only was this ship the building of two Magica (2004) were both largest ever built for an Italian 102,600gt/3,470-passenger sister ships – and Costa Concordia (2006) company, she was the largest Costa Classica and Costa Serena (2007) both cruising in Europe. 112,000gt/3,780-passenger. But the next key move for and Costa Three more sisters to the company was not in the Romantica Costa Concordia are on order shipyard or in the water but in through to 2012, but there is the boardroom, as the world’s also a new and smaller class largest cruise company, Carnival of ship on the way with the Corporation, joined with a 92,700gt/2,828-passenger leading UK travel company

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Costa at 60

Costa Luminosa due in spring 2009 and a sister to follow in 2010. Just between 2000 and 2012, though, Costa will have spent €5.5bn on new ships – €4.5bn in Italian shipyards. The result of this rapid expansion is that Costa has been breaking passenger records every year, with the 2007 total of 1.1m passengers, a 14% increase on the 2006 total of 880,000 and including 70% first-time cruise passengers. And occupancy levels are now regularly in excess of 100% and passenger satisfaction scores are at 98%. It has been the largest cruise brand in Europe for many years and is market leader in Italy, France, Spain and Switzerland. But its growth has also made it the fifth largest (in capacity terms) cruise brand in the world and, according to the current order books, is set to become the third largest by 2012. It expects to carry more than 1.5m passengers in 2010. It has recently added new, groundbreaking winter deployments out of Dubai and Mauritius and was chosen by Carnival to be the pioneering brand in its plan to open up the potential of the Chinese and broader Asian market for cruising. Costa Crociere, which is still headquartered in Genoa, now comprises two brands: Costa and the Germanoriented AIDA Cruises, while the new Carnival joint venture in Spain – Ibero Cruceros – also reports to Costa’s Chairman Pier Luigi Foschi. It has offices in 28 cities in 16 countries and employs 14,000 staff on board the ships and 1,000 shoreside. Significantly, 70% are under 40 years of age and they come from 80 nations. Costa also works with 65,000 travel agencies around the world (26,000 in Europe), as well as with key tour operators in emerging markets such as Russia, Turkey and India. In 2009, it introduces two new ships (Costa Luminosa and Costa Pacifica) to increase capacity by 12% in a year when it offers more than 100 different itineraries to 250 destinations. These will include first-time cruises to New England and Canada and a combined transatlantic voyage and Amazon River cruise. Capacity is also being increased in Asia and the Indian Ocean. The brochure has been added to Costa’s website which also allows visitors to book shore excursions with the help of a virtual cruise assistant. Costa has travelled a very long way in 60 years 

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Costa at 60

Pier Luigi Foschi Chairman and CEO

Marion Cotillard, Godmother of Costa Serena flanked by Pier Luigi Foschi and Captain Giacomo Longo at the christening ceremony.

As Costa celebrates its 60 years in passenger shipping, Pier Luigi Foschi looks back on his ten years at the helm.

successful if it can convince the public to choose it. And the public will choose it only if it can offer them the best quality. With that in mind, we launched a project geared towards achieving excellence – something hen I first arrived, Costa was for which a huge shift in company culture a family-run business with a was required. management style that was We all had to learn what exactly was fragmented because it was effectively meant by quality. As the team was slowly several companies quite poorly integrated put together, we defined and explained into one. Also, although it was to everyone our mission and the established leader of the company values. We set up As the Italian cruise market and had training schools in various team already begun to expand in countries in order to teach what was slowly Europe, it had failed in North is meant by working to a high put together, America - a market for which standard of excellence for an we defined it had built the wrong kind of international clientele such as ships. and explained ours. The first thing that I set Today, our ships are among the to everyone about to do was to focus the largest hotels in the world and we our mission company on its core business, provide a thorough service for eliminating other scattered and and company every single one of our passengers values unprofitable activities. Then I depending on their language, identified that the product and origin, culture and individual taste. service that we offered had to be We have also had the improved. courage to make the ships more A company will only be innovative than they had been

W

before I arrived. This began in 2000 with Costa Atlantica, which represented a total break from the past. The unique size, style and features of our new ships have allowed us to reach a wider and younger public, one that traditionally was not interested in Costa or cruising at all. It was a gamble but it has paid off as we have demonstrated that Costa is not only a cruise but also a fun and high quality holiday that can appeal to everyone. I have worked hard to create a cohesive company, driven by a highly competent and professional management team. In the tourist sector the level and competence of the management is crucial and it has certainly played a major part in making Costa a successful company. The excellent results we have achieved are also down to constant innovation and improvement of the quality of the product along with the consistency of the decisions in our development programme which has allowed us to consolidate our role as a leader in the rapidly developing cruise market. 

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Costa at 60

Mario Martini

Senior Vice President Sales and Marketing, Europe and Rest of the World

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hen Mario Martini took the disembark once as I was enjoying life on dreaded midnight to 4am watch board so much, especially the solitude of on his first liner heading down to those early morning watches.” South America, he remembers seeing “so Having been first officer and later been many sunrises” but admits he would never put in charge of on-board entertainment, have foreseen the turns his career with he then became chief purser. This was a Costa was going to take both on board role for which his language skills came in and ashore. particularly useful – as they did when he This career has taken him around decided that it was time to settle down the world and given him experience of ashore. many aspects of the Costa operation, so “I married in 1976 and realised that, if I it is no wonder he says now: “I wish and wanted a proper family life, I had to give hope that the young people working with up life on board,” he said. me now have the same passion for the So he jumped at the chance to become company that I have had for 40 years and commercial and operations director at that – like me – they are happy to arrive Costa’s Venezuela office in La Guaira. in the office every day. For this work is He enjoyed eight memorable years, never mundane – there is building the business up rapidly always something new to do over the first seven before seeing I wish and learn here.” it hit hard by the local currency and In fact, his connection with devaluation in 1983. Costa goes back even further hope that the Although the USA and Italy as he went on board many of young people were the main markets for Costa’s its ships as part of his studies working with cruises in the region, Mario saw at nautical school. me now have the Venezuelan market grow This bred a fascination substantially to about 20,000 for the company’s liner trade the same passengers by 1982. Costa passion for the Venezuela turnover reached $19m to South America so, once qualified from naval academy, company that the same year. he signed up and spent his Some itineraries were designed I have had for first 19 months travelling to appeal to Venezuelans, 40 years backwards and forwards who filled 80% of the berths, between Genoa and Buenos with an increasing number of Aires. Colombians and Panamanians He said: “I did not booking the remaining capacity.

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Mario also had success with cruises marketed to Venezuelan students and also honeymooners. But the economic crisis which hit the country in 1983 also coincided with a change of tack for Costa, which slimmed down its wide-ranging activities to concentrate solely on cargo shipping and, of course, cruising. Mario returned to Italy in 1984 as commercial director for that cruise market. He said: “I thought I would manage the market quite easily after my experience in South America, but it was a completely different situation. “I thought it would be easier to sell holidays rather than migrant voyages, but it was actually more difficult. “Everyone knew Costa in Italy and the support from travel agents was stronger than it had been in Venezuela, but the publicity the company received for its world cruises and other long voyages was working against us. “It was difficult to persuade agents – particularly in the north-east – that our cruises were not just for old people, and that we had many short (seven or 10-day) cruises as well as the longer voyages, and younger as well as older passengers.” But, as ever, Mario was quick to turn a negative into a positive. He said: “The season was much shorter in those days, with ships often being laid up for several weeks or months. As many

Costa at 60

of the fixed costs remained while the ships were inactive, I suggested we use those blank weeks for mini-cruises for travel agents. “I was given the go-ahead in 1985 and it meant we were able to show our product to 5,000 agents in a single year.” “I travelled on board with the agents and set aside an hour every day to educate them about the product so that, when they returned to their offices, they put our point-of-sale material in their windows. I also told them to fax me every time they made a Costa sale so that we could maintain our relationship. “I have invested a lot of money in travel agency training over the years, because I think it is the most important sales and marketing tool alongside newspaper and television advertising.” It has paid off, as there are now 5,000 agents selling Costa all the time, compared with 800 when the training programmes began. Mario’s next challenge was to build up the Spanish market. He said: “Again, I thought it would simply be like marketing and selling in Italy, but I quickly discovered that the Spanish market was ten years behind Italy. “It has taken time to grow it and it has been a similar story for France, Belgium and Portugal which came within my orbit when I was made Southern Europe Commercial Director before taking up

my current position in 2003.” Reflecting on Costa’s current preeminence in Europe and its rapid growth to carrying more than 1.1m passengers, he picks out four key changes and innovations which have paved the way. He said: “The first was when Mr Foschi arrived and told us that we must work to ensure zero complaints. We had to learn how to achieve this and then convey it to everyone working with us. As a result, there was a complete change of attitude and in the values of the company. “The second change was the introduction in 2006 of ProntoPrice, which encouraged early rather than late bookings by making sure the best prices went to the early bookers.” This has also meant publishing cruise programmes and brochures much earlier than in the past. Another important development is ongoing – the establishment of winter cruising in the Mediterranean. Mario said: “This means looking for a different kind of client and devising new ways of communicating with them.” And the final innovation Mario identified is the raft of new destinations being added to the Costa mix. He said: “We have decided again to be the first to discover new areas like Dubai, Mauritius and Asia for our European clients, and also to source passengers from Asia and particularly China.”

The China programme was a slow starter but, after some changes to the itineraries and the way it is marketed, this is now picking up pace. According to Mario, this is typical of the way Costa works: “We are not perfect but when we make mistakes, we rectify them and then reflect on them and try to ensure they are not made again.” One thing is for sure, though: Mario knows joining Costa all those years ago was no mistake. “When I was first working on board, I used to wake up and think I was dreaming – I couldn’t believe they were paying me for a life I loved so much.” 

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Costa at 60

Antonio De Rosa Vice President Cruise Operations

“C

osta is part of my life and I feel myself to be part of Costa,” said Antonio De Rosa before explaining how what happens on board Costa ships also reflects the lives of their passengers. “As people are not walking as much as they used to, they are tending to watch what they eat and drink. That is why health and fitness has become a major feature of the on-board activities on our ships. “People are trying to take care of their

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health and – in purely commercial terms – the money they are saving on their bar bills is now going on massages and other treatments in our spas.” The emergence of full service spas on cruise ships is not exclusive to Costa but the Samsara spa cabins and suites programme is certainly taking the concept a stage further. Antonio said: “We are going deeper into the subject of wellness to find something unique for our clients and, by differentiating ourselves from other

brands, it is generating more repeat business.” Samsara is also a way of recreating some of the exclusivity of the old firstclass travel without returning to two or three-class ships. Antonio said: “Samsara attracts professionals, people who work too hard and have stressful lives. They want to recharge their batteries and relax – it is not about signing up to a diet, just to a healthier on-board lifestyle.” It is also not a return to the 1970s when

Costa at 60

Antonio joined Costa (1977) and cruising was dominated by rich and often snobbish passengers used to travelling first class on liners. Antonio said: “It all changed in the early 1980s when we opened the doors of the product, as we moved from being floating hotels to floating resorts, and from segmenting the day so that certain services were only available at certain times, to the 24/7 approach. “Now people can do the things they want to do whenever they want to do them – but nothing is compulsory. “One of the biggest challenges is with food as, not only are we responding to passenger demands for a change of diet towards more fresh Mediterranean produce and, in particular, more vegetables, but this also has to be available all the time.” In fact, he noted a trend towards balcony dining, too. “People do like their privacy as much as they enjoy being involved in the entertainment options outside in the public areas.” Costa passengers have become younger as the ships have increased in size, with a

significant increase in families. The entertainment is being tailored to reflect that change. There is a large animation team dedicated to children who can take up 20% of the berths on the largest ships in July and August. The trend towards younger, more active passengers is also reflected in the wider range of shore excursions. Antonio said: “There is a demand for more tailor-made shore excursions, mainly from those booked in the Samsara suites.

“The number of activity-based shore excursions is higher in the Caribbean, while there are fewer on the Mediterranean winter cruises, which attract older passengers and offer a more relaxed cruising style with earlier excursion departures. “In fact, we are now attracting a wider range of passengers with all kinds of new lifestyles, likes and dislikes, and these have to be constantly taken into account in the cruise product we are offering day by day.” 

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Costa at 60

Walter German Product Director

“A

great adventure” – is how other Europeans and British passengers Product Director Walter attracted. German describes his 32 years But, according to Walter, it was at Costa and the changes that have taken not until the 1990s that the on-board place on board the ships during that time. entertainment range began to change – “Life on board has moved from total and radically. relaxation to total activity,” he said. He said: “At that time, land resorts “Back when I started with the company started to put on full production shows so (in 1976), entertainment was restricted we decided to follow suit. to shuffleboard, card games and a little “It helped that we were starting to music and dancing. The highlight for introduce larger ships like Costa Marina many was the cinema, which showed films and Costa Allegra, and particularly from lunchtime through to midnight.” newbuilds Costa Classica and Costa With so few alternatives, it was little Romantica, because we needed more wonder it was full most of the time, space to stage these shows and they whatever films were being also attracted a broader range of shown. passengers to appreciate them. Clients “For most passengers,” said “Although we had always had today Walter, “the main activity dancers, we also introduced know exactly was simply reading while animators on these new ships so sunbathing, although pursers what they want as to appeal to the much wider did organise occasional and we have to passenger nationality mix we had quizzes, competitions and come up with on board.” simulated horse races on a The singing continued to be something plastic track, on which $1 in Italian or English; the shows innovative wagers could win $20 – a became more visual and were also good prize back then.” designed to appeal to the increased every year In those days, virtually all number of families attracted on passengers and crew were board by promotional fares for Italian but this gradually children. changed, with South But, today, Costa Romantica Americans added to the crew and Costa Classica seem small by and an increasing number of comparison with the newest ships.

Walter said: “The difference is extraordinary. When you go on board a ship like Costa Serena, you are greeted by banks of glass elevators and lavish interiors. In fact, you may not like it at first if you are more used to the smaller, older ships but you soon get used to it. “In fact, if I go on board one of the older ships now, it takes only 15 minutes before I am missing some of the things you take for granted on the new ships. “Even though replace with: Even though cruising is better value today, clients are even more demanding – but I think that does not just apply to cruises but everything these days.” “In fact, we now have two sales opportunities as we have two types of ship to sell.” But there are more challenges as well as more opportunities. “Clients today know exactly what they want and we have to come up with something innovative every year,” he said. “Even though they are paying lower prices, they are even more demanding – but I think that does not just apply to cruises but to everything these days.” “All I know is that there is so much to do on cruises these days that sometimes people feel like they need another holiday straightaway.” 

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Costa at 60

Mario Minuto Director Hotel Operations

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hen Mario Minuto joined Costa prepared, presented and served. his first contract was for just He said: “People used to go to the seven months. That was 38 years restaurant for breakfast, lunch and dinner ago and he is still there – it is just his job every day. Today, particularly the younger description that has changed. passengers want to do everything in ten Now Director Hotel Operations, minutes or half an hour at the most, he originally joined as a cadet purser, rather than sit at tables waiting for waiters soon graduating to first purser when his to bring their food. main task was to keep the 200 first class “This is especially so when we are in passengers on Eugenio C happy and port and they want to eat quickly before entertained during that ship’s voyages and after going ashore, and this is why the from Genoa to and from South America. buffet areas on our new ships are larger “We organised the menus for dinner, than the restaurants. played games, made jokes – everything,” “We are also having to change the he said. “I was only 23 but I found menus to cater for all ages and different it hugely enjoyable and stayed for tastes, now that we are attracting younger 18 months before switching to our passengers and more nationalities. Caribbean cruise ships where I was “We are Italian and want to retain that looking after mainly American passengers. in the way we present food, but we also “Life on board was completely have to accept that the traditional cruise different, as these were seven-day cruises dining ways have largely gone.” with passengers going ashore at daily In the three-class liner days, he ports of call, instead of just getting on and remembers the emphasis on French and off at the beginning and end as they did Italian cuisine and on choice – first class on the South America voyages. passengers were offered a choice of 40 “The entertainment was dishes, second class had 20 and also very different back then even third class were presented We are from what we offer today, with ten. Italian as the ships were old and He points out, though, that the and want to small (20,000t compared alternative “Club” restaurant, with with 100,000t-plus today) retain that its more personal service, does with very little space to do maintain some of that classic cruise in the way anything. style on the current ships. But the we present “It meant that we had to Club is also innovating by trialling food, but we rely mainly on staff learning the new molecular cuisine – where also have to how to entertain passengers. food is created from the chemical No-one was very professional, accept that reaction to certain ingredients unlike today when we only use the traditional being put together. highly professional acts and “There is also the Samsara cruise dining production shows.” restaurant for those who want ways have But there has probably dishes cooked with less butter and been an even bigger on-board largely gone fewer sauces,” he said. change in the way meals are And there are more changes to

Costa dining on the way, all designed to enhance the experience for passengers. As Mario admits, he would never have imagined on that day (May 15, 1970) when he first signed up for Eugenio C that 38 years later he would be responsible for ensuring that 250 Chinese passengers on a Costa ship (Costa Concordia) would receive Cantonese food and menus. But that early 2008 challenge was just another sign of the changing times for both Costa and Mario. 

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Costa at 60

Paolo Parodi Technical Operations Director

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eing with Costa for a mere 27 years I first joined the company when there was l k Paolo l Parodi d a new h attention paid d to controlling ll almost makes not as much boy compared with some of the 35 costs.” to 40-year company stalwarts but – now Inevitably, there have also been major Technical Operations Director – he has changes in the type of engine machinery still lived through major changes in the used. cruise industry in general but especially at He said: “All the big passenger ships his own place of work. like Eugenio C were steam-powered, He said: “This is a very different but since then we have introduced first company to the one I joined in 1981 when diesel and now electric propulsion, the Costa family controlled everything. which is more efficient and flexible. Budgets were lower then and the Pod drives have also brought very good organisation was less well structured. manoeuvrability as well as some new “The family began the change themselves maintenance challenges. when they brought in new directors “Redundancy is now always built in so from outside in 1986 in the run-up to that, for example, Costa Fortuna and Costa the ordering of Costa Classica and Costa Concordia only use five of their six diesel Romantica, but the major turnaround came engines to operate at full speed.” after Costa Victoria arrived in 1996 and the But, as he points out, there have company was bought (1997) by Carnival also been even greater changes in the (initially with Airtours). passenger areas of the ships. “When Mr Foschi arrived he provided He said: “Not only were the original strong leadership for all departments and ships three-class, with each group of very good project guidelines. passengers segregated from This was vital as we began to the other and with their own With build more and larger ships facilities like swimming pools and built in and to carry more passengers restaurants, but also many cabins redundancy generating more revenue. were without bathrooms. “As an example, the Costa Fortuna “They were also – like the engine room now comes public lounges – small by today’s and Costa under the control of the standards, and some of the former Concordia hotel department which liners even had dormitories for 24 only use five of migrant passengers. Crew quarters programmes dry dock their six diesel were even more cramped and schedules a year ahead. This enables us to provide lacking in facilities.” engines to the shipyard with a full Shortly after he joined, some operate at full specification of the work cabins on Costa ships were rebuilt speed required so that it can draw to increase their size and reduce up a quotation six months in their occupancy by including just advance. two beds. “This did not happen when Then the early 1990s ships Costa

Classica/Romantica/Victoria were a major d as they h were d d solely l l step fforward designed for cruising from the start. They had larger cabins and public areas with fullsize theatres and casinos and more open deck space. “Since then, we have built many more even larger ships with much more space,” he said. But arguably the biggest change since the 1980s is the new emphasis on environmental issues. On the technical side, he said: “The future will be all about reducing emissions, which is a very complex issue as it involves fuel types and where they can be used, funnel-fitted scrubbers and the pros and cons of using shoreside power.” 

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Costa at 60

Victor Fordred Vice President Fleet Deployment and Itineraries

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he more things change, the more strongly at the time, for the same reason they stay the same. That is what as it allowed us to fill ships from source the French say but, for Costa, it has markets a long way away.” really been the other way round. But, again, the concept of attracting Or, as Vice President Fleet Deployment passengers from around the world was and Itineraries Victor Fordred put it: not a new one. He said: “I think we are “The seven night itinerary we operate one of the few cruise companies that from Genoa is the same as I was selling in can be described as truly international, the reservations department 35 years ago. as we have always catered for many The geography has not changed, no new nationalities. ports have developed in any significant “We started with Italians but quickly way and it still suits all nationalities. added Germans, French, British, Swiss “But in other ways it has completely and Austrians from Europe, North changed, as then there was just one and South Americans, and now we are homeport, but now passengers can sourcing from Asia, too. embark at different ones like Marseille “It means that we are now very and Barcelona along the way. “ experienced in catering for multi-national This trend started in the 1990s but and multi-language passenger mixes.” echoed the 1970s Costa stopover cruise But many things have changed in the innovation, which saw passengers way the business is now conducted. Victor embarking at one port (either Genoa or said: “When I joined the headquarters Venice) but then leaving the cruise for a were still on the 20th floor of the Piazza one-week stay at one of the Vante building. It was a family-run ports of call, before rejoining business that spread way beyond We are the cruise the next time passenger ships to cargo trades and now very the olive oil and textiles sectors. around. experienced The multi-embarkation “In fact, cargo was then more option was given a major in catering important than passengers in boost when the new, larger business terms and liner travel for multiships began to be introduced more significant than cruising, too. national and following Carnival “But the line voyages were Corporation’s purchase of the multi-language already slipping out of favour passenger company. with the arrival of the jet aircraft, Victor said: “It takes a lot and liners were being converted mixes of passengers to fill the larger into cruise ships. Costa was at the ships so obviously the more forefront of this change, being one ports you can fill them from, of the first to develop Caribbean the better. cruising with flycruise links from “The flycruise concept Europe. was also being developed “It was a pioneering time as

cruising was then just for the wealthy, and that needed to change for the market to grow. All companies – including Costa – played a part in persuading people that cruising was not the exclusive preserve of the rich but just like any other holiday. “This took time and for many years it was difficult to get business outside the peak June-August season. “Another problem was in finding places to deploy the ships in the winter. Although our overall capacity is much greater these days, the number of ships is not so very different, so we had our work cut out finding viable routes for all our ships.” One successful option was the world cruise originally operated in the late 1970s by the then flagship Eugenio C. “The commitment by the UK’s Saga

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Costa at 60

Holidays to take a large allocation on these voyages was a very important factor in the decision to operate them,” said Victor. But itinerary development has become even more complex in recent years, with the expansion not just of Costa’s, but also of the worldwide cruise fleet. After many years in sales following his initial reservations involvement, Victor was appointed to his current position six years ago. “Although I had been involved to some extent in my sales and marketing roles,” he said, “it was the first time I had been exclusively dedicated to planning itineraries. “The seven-day programmes remain the core of what we offer and, as I said, many of these have not changed radically but the quality of the ships operating Caribbean, we have developed separate them has done. itineraries for Europeans and North “Carnival’s initial involvement ten Americans while, when the China market years ago was a turning point for Costa as was slow to fill Costa Allegra, we modified we became its European brand and that the itineraries and opened up sales meant new ships coming along at regular internationally and found a strong market intervals. from Europe. “Although we had “I believe that no other competitors in Germany, company has developed as many The the UK and Spain, they new destinations as Costa has done 7-day were one-nationality brands in recent years.” programmes whereas Costa is both He acknowledged that the European and international.” remain the escalating cost of fuel has added Coming up with ideas for another challenge to the itinerary core of what new itineraries is an ongoing planning process. we offer process so, having been seen He said: “We do try and and many of as a mainly Mediterranean optimise fuel use by reducing these have operator, Costa expanded speeds required to meet the not changed recently, first to Northern schedule but this is not a simple Europe and then to Dubai for radically but equation. the Arabian Gulf, Mauritius “The easiest way to save fuel is to the quality for the Indian Ocean and reduce time in port or cut a port out of the ships Shanghai and Singapore for of the itinerary. But it can be harder operating them to sell a cruise with fewer ports and Asia. He said: “Even within the it can also have a negative impact on has done

the satisfaction levels of the passengers who do book. “There is also the question of the shore excursion revenues lost by cutting out ports, and whether that will prove greater than any savings made on fuel.” Once again this is not a new problem as there was a major fuel crisis in the mid1970s, too. But Victor did point to a couple of major changes between then and now. “The offices we worked in were not very modern and certainly not as well equipped as they are today. Reservations were manual rather than computerised. “There were also fewer people working there although this did have the benefit of creating a close-knit family atmosphere where we all knew each other very well. “There has been some loss of that family feeling, but this is still a very nice company to work for and it has been fascinating to see just how far Costa has come, and very exciting for me to have been part of that development.” 

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Costa at 60

Gianni Onorato President

As Costa Crociere continues to introduce its style of cruising to global markets Gianni Onorato is far from complacent

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t the grand old age of 60, Costa is “Secondly, as well as developing a larger about to enter the fourth dimension winter presence in the Mediterranean, but then, as President Gianni South America and the Caribbean, we have Onorato said: “Every year at Costa there is identified new areas of deployment in the something new, something for the others to Indian Ocean, Arabian Gulf and Asia where follow.” we have established a presence and want to For 2009, this means the latest new continue to expand.” ship Costa Luminosa will arrive boasting He does not rule out rivals moving in to her own 4D cinema – a first for any cruise compete in these new areas, but points out ship. that a brand needs to be strong in European He said: “We try to follow the changing markets in order to source sufficient lifestyle trends in food and wines and in passengers to make such programmes entertainment, and reflect them in what we viable. do on board our ships. He said: “Although we will also be “But we also innovate and set cruise looking to develop in North and South trends, as with our Samsara spa suites and America as well as China, our main focus Formula One race car simulator. With for at least the next five years will remain every new ship, we repeat the European markets which are at these popular innovations but Our main the core of our business.” always add something new For example, he pointed to the focus for investment in the new terminal each time.” at least the The same applies to at Barcelona, as signalling the itineraries, with New England/ next five years company’s commitment to the Canada offered for the first Spanish market by enhancing the will remain time in the 2009 programme the European passenger service experience at the announced early in 2008. crucial point of embarkation and markets which disembarkation. “We have two main are at the objectives as far as “It is certainly possible that deployments are concerned,” competitors will follow us into our core of our he said. “Firstly, we want new deployments,” he said. “But business to reinforce our presence the way they are structured makes it in our traditional summer likely that it will be one in one area destinations of the Eastern and and one in another, rather than a Western Mediterranean and single company challenging us in all Northern Europe. of them.”

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Costa’s own competitive position has undoubtedly been enhanced by its introduction of the ProntoPrice system, designed to offer capacity-controlled pricing that rises rather than falls as departure dates approach. He said: “We are using ProntoPrice in every market where we have a strong competitive position and it conforms to local rules and regulations – we are 90% there – this now includes South but not North America.” There is no question of Costa’s leadership in one area of increasing importance to the industry – the environment and the whole sustainable tourism agenda. It was the first company to receive the Green Star from RINA, certifying that it operates all its ships in an environmentally responsible manner and conforms to the highest standards as far as preventing marine pollution is concerned. It was also the first to be certified (again by RINA) as B.E.S.T.4 (Business Excellence Sustainable Task) in the areas of social accountability, safety, quality and the environment. It has now published its own social accountability report, setting out its targets for improvement. He said: “In some ways, it is easier to earn this kind of certification the first time than it is to maintain it. To do so, we have to make sure that everyone in the company is behaving in accordance with our social

Costa at 60

I don’t accountability policies.” These policies ensured that believe Costa was a recent signatory to any company the Venice Blue agreement and should ever that it renewed both its 2005 agreement with the World Wildlife be satisfied with the level Fund (to support projects to preserve endangered eco-regions of service in the Mediterranean, Greater they deliver, Antilles and north-east Brazil) because the and that with the European customers Commission’s Research Centre will always to measure pollution levels in the Mediterranean. be raising the Clearly crew training is an bar of their important element in all safety, expectations quality and environmental areas, and President Onorato made clear the challenges that lie ahead, with expanding cruise lines competing for quality staff, not just with each other but also with other leisure and tourism sectors. “I don’t think any company should ever be satisfied with the level of service they deliver, because the customers will always be raising the bar of their expectations, so we need to keep increasing our quality to make sure we meet them. “We decided ten years ago that we wanted to avoid training on board. Instead, we ensure that crew trainees live the full onboard life created at our land-based training centres on the way to earning their skills diplomas.” But, although he knows that looking

ahead is important to maintain and improve Costa’s standing in the cruise sector, there has to be time to look back, too. He said: “For our 60th anniversary, we designated one cruise for our most loyal past passengers and it was fully booked in 36 hours. We offered a second and that went in 48 hours. We have since added a third and there will probably be more.” On each of them, there will be retired captains and executive chefs on board, each of them bringing memorabilia from past cruises. He said: “This is a nice

reward for customers who have been loyal to Costa and will bring a good feeling to our anniversary celebrations which will run through the year.” 

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Awards

W O R L D C R U I S E D E S T I N AT I O N S

2007AWARDS

T

he recent survey of ports and destinations has shown a gulf between a handful of marquis ports, that clearly have become the bedrock of the industry in their particular regions, and a wide range of known and unknown ports and destinations. It is noticeable that the increasingly global aspect of deployment has resulted in there being many more choices in the Far East for example. It would be remiss of me not to make special mention of Barcelona. The city and port has quite literally dominated the port, terminal and destination sections this time – not just amongst the large ship brands but also favoured by the deluxe end of the market. It is true to say that the dynamism of the industry is forever bringing new challenges for ports and destinations. The catalyst, as always, continues to be the sheer size and number of ships being built and their deployment to regions where yields are the highest. Europe has become the new centre of gravity for the cruise industry as David Dingle, CEO Carnival UK,

has pointed out on several occasions recently. The consequences of this have been that cruise lines are expecting an ongoing evaluation of port facilities and infrastructure, and an assessment of the potential impact of increased passenger numbers on tourism venues. The same can be said for ports and destinations in other regions in which activity has quickened over the past year as customers seek new adventures on cruises that explore hithertoo unavailable parts of the world. What is required of ports is a question that is not as easy to answer as it used to be. How many factors come into play when choices are considered for this annual survey? Berthing requests being dealt with quickly and efficiently; the cruise lines’ relationships with the ports; delays in disembarking passengers; issues surrounding congestion and port fees. I am sure there are plenty of others but, as before, I should remind you that it has never been easy to select one port over another, one destination over another, especially when a cruise company’s

preferences invariably reflect the itineraries that have been selected for a fleet that can range in size from just a few ships to 20 or more and in capacity from 100 to 4,000. Nevertheless our task remains to give recognition to ports and destinations who have delivered their product or service in a commendable way. This year it seems as if the pendulum has moved back to a select number of marquis ports and destinations. Commendations for attractions reflect the need for new and enhanced attractions to be developed to cater to a passenger profile that is rapidly changing in mix, in age and in preferences. Finally, we salute the towns and cities that are shown to have the very best guides, and we applaud the owners, entrepreneurs and managers of attractions for understanding the importance of creating, developing or simply improving their product. We also congratulate the companies who have delivered outstanding service in the past year. And many congratulations to all those ports and destinations that are award winners this time. 

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Awards

Dream World Cruise Destinations Most Improved Port Facilities

Most Efficient Port Services

Best Port Welcome

The most relevant improvement to; fenders, pier, or berth; or to infrastructure; or parking spaces.

Most efficient combination of pilotage, port agency services, customs clearance and good working relations with the operations departments of cruise lines.

The best welcome to passengers coming ashore.

Winners

Winners

Winners

Barcelona, Spain Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos Kiel, Germany Shanghai, China Valletta, Malta

Barcelona, Spain Copenhagen, Denmark Port Everglades, USA Singapore, Singapore

Antigua, Antigua & Barbuda Dubai, United Arab Emirates Invergordon, UK La Rochelle, France Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain

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Awards

2007AWARDS Most Responsive Port

Best Turnaround Port Operations

Most Improved Terminal Facilities

The port with a cruise team that responds quickly to requests for information, and finds solutions to the challenges and demands of the cruise lines.

Port with the best berths, terminal or covered passenger facility, efficient services such as security; customs; baggage handling; communications; passenger services; link with the airport; logistics capability; stevedoring; storage; ship services including provision of fresh water and disposal of waste.

Most improved terminal whether through construction of new building or as a result of refurbishment delivering: new technology, bonded baggage services, or improvements to security, communications, or services to the passenger.

Winners

Winners

Winners

Barcelona, Spain Dubai, United Arab Emirates Las Palmas, Canary Islands, Spain Pointe à Pitre, Guadelope Tortola, British Virgin Islands Trieste, Italy

Barcelona, Spain Dubai, United Arab Emirates Port Everglades, USA Singapore, Singapore Vancouver, Canada

Barcelona, Spain Kiel, Germany Oranjestad, Aruba Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain

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Awards

Dream World Cruise Destinations Most Efficient Terminal Operator

Most Improved Destination

Best Destination Experience – Organised Tours

Most efficiently managed and operated terminal.

Improvement to tourism product and/ or infrastructure; eg city/town centre landscaping; traffic flow; provision of transport; access to tourism information; new attractions/experiences.

Destination where the quality and delivery of the product includes an organised tour booked through the cruise line.

Winners

Winners

Winners

Amsterdam, Netherlands Barcelona, Spain Kobe, Japan Port Everglades, USA Singapore, Singapore Vancouver, Canada

Alexandria, Egypt Alghero, Sardinia, Italy Cayo Levantado, Dominican Republic Dominica Icy Point Straight, USA Komodo, Indonesia Koper, Slovenia Sanya, China Valletta, Malta

Alexandria, Egypt Brugge, Belgium Buenos Aires, Argentina Cayo Levantado, Dominican Republic Komodo, Indonesia Limon, Costa Rica Shanghai, China St. Petersburg, Russia Stockholm, Sweden

Best Attraction Experience

Service Companies

The best combination of product and friendly, professional staff and efficient organisation.

Business recognised for outstanding service to passenger

Commendations

Commendations

Alhambra Palace, Grenada, Spain Arrecife Beto Carreiro Water Park, Brazil Cape Town, South Africa Cartagena, Panama Ephesus, Turkey Fjiords, Norway Fortress Louisberg, Sydney, Canada Grieg's Home, Bergen, Norway Hermitage evening visit, St. Petersburg Loro Parque, Tenerife Mayan Temples, Guatemala Polaria Centre, Tromso, Norway Portofino, Italy Small Fishing Ports, Iceland St. Kitts Scenic Railway

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Stalin's Dacha, Socchi Urshuaia Vatican Museum Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands

Abercombie & Kent, South Africa Agenza Maritime Sarde, Sardinia Agenzia Ferraz, Funchal, Madeira Aviomar (Aventours), Mexico Alossi Brothers, Italy Aquilar Tours, Canada Arctur Travel, St. Petersburg, Russia Atlantic Tours, Halifax, Nova Scotia BG Tours, India Casa de Campo, Dominican Republic Cherbourg Maritime, Northern France Cox & Co. St. Lucia Creole Travel, Seychelles Cruise Line Agencies, Alaska, USA Denholm Shipping Services, Dover, UK Destination Canada, New England, USA

Awards

2007AWARDS Best Destination Experience – Independent Sightseeing

Best Turnaround Destination

Destination with Best Tour Guides

Destination where the quality of the experience derives from passengers making their own arrangements for their time ashore.

The best combination of airlift and airport capacity, transport links (road/rail), ground handling, hotel stock, tourism appeal, and seamless transfers to seaport.

Destination where the quality and professionalism of guides is considered outstanding.

Winners

Winners

Bergen, Norway Calvi, Corsica, France Hong Kong, China Lubeck, Germany New York, USA Quebec City, Canada Salvador Bahia, Brazil St. Maarten Venice, Italy

Amsterdam, Netherlands Barbados Barcelona, Spain Copenhagen, Denmark Dubai, United Araba Emirates Ft. Lauderdale, USA Hong Kong, China Pointe à Pitre, Guadeloupe

Best New Attraction

rs, crew or ships.

The best new development/product.

Barbados Barcelona, Spain Buenos Aires, Argentina Cape Town, South Africa Copenhagen, Denmark Cozumel, Mexico Dubrovnik, Croatia Funchal, Portugal Halifax, Canada Helsinki, Finland Montevideo, Uraguay Naples, Italy Palma de Mallorca, Spain Panama Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada Santo Tomas de Castillo, Guatemala Singapore, Singapore St. Petersburg, Russia Stockholm, Sweden Tallinn, Estonia

Commendations

Estanislao Duran E Hijos, Vigo, Spain European Cruise Service, Norway Foster & Ince, Barbados Intercruise, Spain Land & Sea Transportation, Miami, USA Linholm Cruise Services, Sweden Maersk, Denmark Nascotours, Egypt P & B Agencies, Barcelona, Spain Platinum, Barbados Rais Hassan Saadi Group, UAE Saigon Tourist, Vietnam Swiss Travel, Costa Rica Trumpy Tours, Italy Turismo Nuevo Mundo, Argentina Wallem Shipping, Hong Kong

ATV, St. Lucia Botanical Gardens New Cable Car, Funchal Canopy Tour/Buggy Adventure Dominican Republic Cayo Levantado, Dominican Republic Concorde, Bridgetown Airport, Barbados Ice Bar, Copenhagen, Denmark Ilha Grande, Brazil Keeling, Taipei National Palace Museum Komodo Dragon Tour, Indonesia Leiptis Magna, Libya Napoli Express, Naples Pisa Little Trolley Train, Italy Zahara Resort Show, Dubai

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Company profile

Turn To Tura The key to an innovative tour service in Turkey EXECUTIVE EEX XEC ECUT UTIV UTIV VE SU S SUMMARY M AR MM ARY

S

iince in nce ce iitt wa w wass fo foun founded unde un ddeed in 1196 1966, 966, 96 6, 6, Tura Turizm has become a major player in Turkish tourism. More than 40 years of seamless inbound and outbound services have been appreciated by national and international organizations. They have also earned the company no fewer than 72 awards which – on each occasion – have

Since 1966

Go with a smile Tura Turizm Cumhuriyet Cad.No.133 Elmadag 34360 Istanbul TURKEY Phone: 90 212 241 21 52 Fax: 90 212 241 29 89 [email protected] www.turaturizm.com.tr

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iin nsppirredd management manag an nag agem emen ent and en an nd st taff a inspired staff ttoo achieve ach chie ieve ie ve eeve v n greater ve grea gr grea eate teer heights heig he iggh ight htts off even service and product innovation. The latest saw Tura become the 2007 inaugural winner of Seatrade Insider’s “Supplier of the Year” award and was further recognition of the company’s core values of innovation, creativity, quality, safety, and the allimportant personal touch. It also underlined its mission statement:

t bbee our to our clients’ cllie i nt nts’s’ keyy to to Turkey Turk Tu r eyy an nd en ensu ure all all visitors vis issittor o s leave leav avee ou ourr and ensure tours with smiles on their faces. At the core of the company’s ethos is teamwork. It is through their enthusiastic, experienced and ultra-professional staff, and their commitment to operating as a team, that ensures Tura Turizm offers the best possible services for cruise lines operating in Turkey.

Tura Turizm

Innovative Services INNOVATIVE NNOVATIVE SERVICES FROM TURA TURIZM As partt off T A Tura T Turizm’ i ’s mission i i tto make k all its tours stand out among the standard products offered to cruise lines and their passengers, it is constantly adding extra, innovative services. These now include:HEALTH AND SAFETY THE KEY In the key area of health and safety, Tura ensures that an ambulance with one Englishspeaking doctor and one nurse is ready and on call from the moment a ship arrives until it leaves Istanbul port. It stays at the port until all the excursions have left and then switches to Tura’s service centre between The Museum of Hagia Sophia and Topkapi Palace – a central location for all tours. Emergency contact numbers are given to all cruise staff and guides. The ambulance has all the equipment necessary for emergencies as well as minor health problems, but its priority is to take care of minor health issues that visitors might have during their tour and/or to take them to Memorial Hospital in case of anything more serious. Memorial Hospital is one of the two American Hospitals in Istanbul and the closest to the tour venues. Even if there are no health problems during a call or tour, the knowledge that an ambulance is on standby is welcomed by visitors and cruise staff alike. The ambulance will – if requested – display the cruise line’s logo on its front and side doors. Even if there are no health problems during a call or tour, the knowledge that an ambulance is on standby is welcomed by visitors and cruise staff alike. The ambulance will – if requested – display the cruise line’s logo on its front and side doors. ALL-DAY HOSPITALITY DESK A hospitality desk is also in service from a cruise ship’s arrival until its departure. It is there to provide a warm welcome and any information that visiting passengers (and ship’s crew) may need. Staff provide maps of Istanbul, the Old City and other areas if requested and will advise on

what to do, where to eat, where to shop and how best to get around the city. They also have bars restaurants and nightclubs for a list of bars, all ages and tastes as well as information on mosques, churches and synagogues. They are happy to share their insight into the city and its way of life and will also give detailed information about the Old City; Sultanahmet, Hippodrome, Grand Bazaar, Blue Mosque, St. Sophia, Topkapi Palace, Dolmabahçe Palace, and areas around the port as well as on the Asian side. If visitors want to know about other areas of Turkey, staff also have that information to hand. The desk is the place to go for phone cards and any assistance with calling or mailing postcards and letters, and it also acts as the Lost and Found area for mislaid items. These are returned to the ship’s representative if the owners do not claim them. Staff are also trained to deal with any urgent situations that may occur at the port. ELECTRIC CAR REDUCES WALKING IN TOPKAPI PALACE Although the ultimate must-see in Istanbul, its sheer scale means that Topkapi Palace requires plenty of walking, so groups can have problems keeping visitors with different walking capacities and pace equally happy. Once again, Tura Turizm has come up with the answer: an environmentally friendly, easy-to-board electric car which has been converted into a decorated Sultan’s vehicle. Visitors who prefer not to walk the 700m from the entrance to the first gate of the Palace are welcome to join this Sultan’s ride run by the Tura team. More than 3,000 happily took this option in 2007. HEADSET ENSURES VISITORS DON’T MISS A THING As all tour sites can be heavily congested and noisy, it is often difficult for guides to make themselves heard to everyone in their group. To solve this problem, Tura Turizm clients are given the option of a headset through which – via a direct link from the guides’ microphones – they will be able to hear every word they are saying even in the noisiest surroundings. This unique solution – a first for any Turkish tour company or visiting cruise line – also means they are able to walk around the site individually, listening to the guides without having to follow them around all the time. Spring 2008 Dream World Cruise Destinations

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Company profile

Innovative S The headset system is insured and maintained by Tura Turizm staff who will also be able to deal with any technical problems during tours and replace equipment if necessary. The guides are trained to use it before the season starts and are also given the necessary technical details in order to operate it. This system is optional for each visitor and carries a small additional charge. It can be booked at the same time as the excursion and a separate bus will be allocated to users. SAFE AND SECURE COURTESY OF TURA TURIZM A team of 16 trained security staff are operational during each cruise call to Istanbul. They have an internal communication system in addition to radio connection with all the buses, guides and ground staff in case of an emergency. There are also two patrol cars. For every call, Tura’s security company forms a specific security plan designed to keep all visitors safe and secure without their being aware of a security presence. TRANSPORTATION FOR DISABLED GUESTS A deluxe, air-conditioned mini bus especially designed to serve the needs of disabled visitors on shore excursions, is provided by Tura Turizm at all Turkish ports through the season, although early booking is recommended.

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It has an elevating ramp system for easy wheelchair access, protection belts and side slides, and carries up to eight (including four disabled) passengers. The driver has medical knowledge and experience with disabled passengers and there is also an escort to help. GPS KEEPS TOURS ON SCHEDULE From 2008, each Tura Turizm bus will have GPS (Global Positioning System). This innovation will make it possible – via a special code – for the whole call-day tour operation to be monitored. This code will be shared with Tura cruise company clients so they will be able to see how the operation is run, check the durations of the tours and ensure the guides deliver the tour as advertised. This monitoring can also be used as proof if there are any client/visitor complaints about durations. MUSICAL WELCOME FOR VISITORS When cruise ships arrive in Istanbul, the Janissary Band welcomes their passengers in the Customs Area with military music dating back 2,500 years. This creates a very colourful atmosphere and has a positive impact on passengers as they are getting close to the pier. This is the initiation of their “Turkish Experience”. The show takes about 40 minutes, lasting until shore excursions have departed. VISITORS SEE RED – AND APPRECIATE IT A red carpet is laid out towards the

shore excursions exit and in front of the Hospitality Desk. It is delineated by brass marine columns and, as well as making visitors feel special, it also helps them orientate themselves for their shore excursion departure point. The carpet is also used at the entrance to the restaurants. TAKE A TOUR – PLANT A TREE Another new idea from Tura Turizm was that of planting trees for each visitor who takes the full day shore excursion in Kusadasi. A tract of land has been set aside in the mountains of Virgin Mary and Ephesus and 30.000 trees have been planted since 2006. The forest can display the logo and name of a cruise company and be shown to visitors during their excursion. A picture of the land with the logo will be presented to the company in October. Tura will present each tour participant with a certificate (on A4 recycled paper) marking the planting of their tree. TWO CONTINENTS CERTIFICATE There is a separate certificate for those who visit the Asian side of Istanbul on their tour. It states that they have passed from Europe to Asia via the Bosphorus Bridge. This A4 Certificate states: Congratulations! You have crossed from Europe to Asia. We wish that you remember Istanbul as a city of two continents where East meets West. This is the Europe that you do not know and the Asia that you will discover. With the compliments of

Tura Turizm

ervices Tura Turizm WET ICY CAPS – A VERY COOL IDEA For hot days in Ephesus, Tura Turizm has come up with an idea to cap them all – wet icy caps to cool visitors down. Ephesus attracts 90% of visitors to Kusadasi but it can be very hot in the summer so two Tura staff greet groups near the end of the tour and hand them the icy caps which they have kept cool in mobile freezers. Given the usually older age groups of cruise visitors, these caps are not just a welcome innovation but they are also a safety measure as it has been proved that their use can help avoid heat-related health problems. The feedback from visitors has been very positive, proving that this is another good way to differentiate the tour product. MOBILE TOILETS BRING RELIEF Another popular Tura Turizm initiative is its provision of a Mobile Toilet Service that is located at the most congested areas in Istanbul and Kusadasi to enable Tura clients to avoid the long queues for – and doubtful hygiene of – public toilets. It has 10 booths inside: four for ladies, five for gentlemen and one for disabled guests. It is fully supplied with toilet paper and soap and there are two staff in charge to help with any further requests. It is fully air-conditioned at all times and is maintained by Tura Turizm. The disabled restroom has a ramp accessible even for guests who are completely

wheelchair-confined. The transporting vehicle can display a company logo and be at the disposal of the particular cruise line during its ship’s visits to Istanbul and Kusadasi. This service is free of charge for the visitors. EXCLUSIVE GIFTS FOR YOUR GUESTS Souvenirs that Tura Turizm offers cruise line passengers on any shore excursion from Kusadasi are listed below, and a set will also be presented in an environmentally friendly pack for review. A bottle of holy water. This is given to those on excursions including visits to the Virgin Mary’s House. The bottles, made exclusively for Tura Turism, are made out of soil with a glazed interior, to recall the times the Virgin Mary lived. There is a figure of the Virgin Mary on one side and explanatory information on the other. Visitors are welcome to fill their bottles with holy water and to take them back home. Ephesus Theatre Entrance Tablets. It was a custom when Ephesus was the largest Roman City in the area for people to enter the theatre with a ticket in the form of a “tablet”, so a replica is given to each visitor on a Tura tour to Ephesus with the guides explaining its significance. It has a “drama and melodrama” illustration on one side and the n ame of Ephesus written as it was carved on the original tablets. The tablet is presented to visitors in the form of a necklace with an explanatory note

inside the gift set to remind them of the tablet’s importance and purpose. An Interactive Live Show Booklet is also placed in the gift set to combine with the information they receive from guides before they see the Interactive Show. EPHESUS INTERACTIVE LIVE SHOW The Ephesus tour includes a site tour to all parts of the ancient city which is spread over an area of 5km. With the Ephesus Interactive Live Show, Tura Turizm aims to simulate the look of the city when the Romans were there. Actors from the Conservatoire of Izmir are dressed as Romans of different ranks and social classes and pretend they are living there and are busy with their daily activities such as giving speeches on democracy at the Agora, playing the harp in the Auditorium, buying fish from the market, chatting in the famous baths of Ephesus etc. They do not, though, act or interact with the visitors but are simply there to fill the gap so that people can understand the era when Ephesus was a living city in its golden era The Interactive show and scene is presented for each group with timing coordinated between staff at two locations. It is a flashback in history and an animation of Ephesus, which helps visitors visualize the city, and is a memorable experience for them.

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Regional Reports Caribbean Ports

Caribbean By Tony Peisley

T

he proposed $200m cruise port development at Falmouth in Jamaica encapsulates both the promise and the problems facing the cruise industry in the Caribbean. On the one hand, it will benefit the industry by creating effectively a brand new port – one specifically designed to handle Genesis-size ships – in the region. It will benefit Jamaica in general by ensuring it will not miss out on attracting the next generation of ships simply because it lacks the logistics to handle them and their larger passenger numbers. It will also spread the positive impact of cruise tourism more widely across the island with Falmouth, in particular, guaranteed the kind of economic turnaround sought by any rundown port and community. As well as dredging the harbour, reclaiming land and building a sewage treatment plant, the two-year plan culminates in Falmouth applying to UNESCO for World Heritage site status. Its Georgian buildings will be restored, the area around them landscaped and a shopping mall (with Georgian-style features) created on the outskirts. Local residents in 18th Century costumes will meet the ships at a large new terminal, act as guides and run horse-buggy and similar tours for the passengers. 94

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Exactly how this works in practice will be the subject of much scrutiny by those within the Caribbean but there is no doubt that the region does need new ports, new experiences and enhanced port and tourism facilities to maintain its market leadership in the cruise sector. Although year-on-year capacity increases in the Caribbean have been slowing down in recent years (just 4% in 2007), this still means – as the Curacao port authority has forecast – that the number of cruise ships deployed in the Caribbean is likely to have risen 10% by 2012. This just serves to underline the importance of ongoing port and destination development. As reported in the last Dream World Destinations, the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) now believes cruise tourism to be almost entirely incremental business rather than a cannibalisation of land stay traffic but also that this means even more work needs to be done to improve the cruise passengers’ experience on shore. Positive word of mouth recommendation from them could be crucial, especially with the new passport requirement for North American visitors and the prospect of hurricanes over the next 10-15 years both likely to impact on the region. Hurricanes have already put three

key ports for Caribbean cruises out of action for long periods so there needs to be more choice of both ports of call and homeports in the mix. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd (RCCL), which is contracted to bring a minimum of 2.2m passengers to Jamaica over a five-year period, is part of the Falmouth project which involves Jamaican and US developer partners. Although it means that its Genesisberth plans for Ocho Rios have been dropped in the process, there will still be upgrades there and also at Montego Bay where $67m is being spent on renovating three berths and adding a second terminal. RCCL is also at the early stages of its involvement with the upgrading of Heritage Quay at St John’s, Antigua while, in conjunction with the port authority and a New York developer, the cruise company is also helping drive the proposed redevelopment of the waterfront at Aruba’s Oranjestad port. This will cost up to $80m and take up to seven years to complete but will include a new terminal as well as hotel, condominium and retail areas. It follows the government decision to switch all cargo and container traffic to a different port on the island by 2009. A similar plan is being considered for Nassau in New Providence, Bahamas while, on Grand Bahama, there is the

Regional Reports Caribbean Ports

St Maarten

prospect of a new cruise port away from the cargo-cruise fa facility at Freeport. A $1 5b d l $1.5bn development of the waterfront at San Juan, Puerto Rico, should be completed by 2015 and, in the meantime, the scheme of rebates and reductions started by the Puerto Rico Tourism Company in 2005 to incentivise cruise lines to call has now been extended beyond this year. As part of the same strategy, two piers have been dredged to cater for Genesis-size ships while improved airlift from both the USA and Europe should also help to increase the more lucrative homeporting business. But in some ways it is equally important San Souci terminal

that Puerto Rico is also developing two new cruise ports: the newly-privatised Maya West and Ponce. The newest cruise port in the Caribbean, Grand Turk, has quickly built up port of call business and is now looking to attract homeporting ships, initially from Carnival Cruise Lines (CCL). The Cayman Islands are hardly new to cruising – in fact, they are the third most popular Caribbean destination – but, by turning Grand Cayman into a docking rather than a tender call, they will radically change its appeal without necessarily increasing visitor numbers. By reducing the time (and crowding)

to get on and off the island, cruise visitor satisfaction levels are certain to rise and, equally importantly, their time (and therefore their spending) ashore will increase once the four mega-ship berths become operational next year. Tobago is also looking to change its low-key cruise image by investing $74m in berth extensions in both Scarborough and Charlotteville. The importance of the dual destination St Maarten/St Martin is underlined by the financial involvement of both Carnival Corporation & Plc and RCCL in building a second mega-ship pier at Philipsburg on the Dutch side of the island. This will have room for two Genesissize ships and should be operational at the end of next year. There is also a plan for a new pier for smaller cruise ships as part of a yacht marina development at Marigot, the port on the French side of the island. Curacao’s Willemstad has plans for its own second mega-ship cruise berth/ terminal. If approved, this would open in 2010. Grenada wants to add two berths of more modest proportions while St Kitts plans one new berth. And Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) opened its new cruise terminal at the end of last year (2007) as part of its $76m drive to establish itself as a major homeport in the region.  Spring 2008 Dream World Cruise Destinations

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Caribbean Destinations

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Caribbean Destinations

T

he seven islands of Guadeloupe were discovered and named by Christopher Columbus in 1493. The two largest islands – Grande-Terre to the east and Basse-Terre, are separated by a small channel of seawater known as “La Rivière Salée”. The former, flat, dry, chalky and covered with fields of sugar cane, is ringed with white sandy beaches, which in turn are encircled by a coral reef. The second, wilder in aspect, is home to the Soufrière volcano that rises to a height of 1,467 metres. All around is the beauty of a thick tropical forest, listed as France’s seventh national park. In Guadeloupe’s people you will find a centuries-old fusion of Creole and French reflected in their elegant culture, clothes, cuisine and faces. These two islands are blessed with a myriad of little bays, each with its own character and spirit. From fine white sand on Grande-Terre, to golden brown sand on the leeward coast and black sand from the volcano on the west end of Basse-Terre, as well as coral reefs with shallow water. The zoological garden, the orchid garden, the coffee and cocoa plantations, a banana plantation, and the different botanical gardens contain local and other exotic plants sheltering hundreds of birds and butterflies. The seven islands of Guadeloupe are surrounded by warm, clear seas with an incredible underwater world, which is why snorkelling has become so high popular throughout the islands. Sailing, boating and deep-sea fishing are also high popular activities with visitors. Three high-speed catamarans can bring passengers from the port of Pointe a Pitre to Marie Galante and Les Saintes. And Deshaies offers a protected and charming bay just in front of Montserrat and Antigua, directly connected to the tropical forest and mountains. Here, as on all the islands, your appetite can easily be satisfied by a choice of excellent cuisine heavily influenced by Gallic flavours.

For the shoppers there’s plenty of choice. There are boutiques specialising in perfume, china and crystal and many luxury items from France. There’s a good selection of quality local products that make fine gifts to take home: Pottery, handpainted fabrics, handmade lace, French champagne and wines, as well as rums, coffee beans, and unusual spices. One of the dominant views of the islands is the dormant volcano, La Soufrière, on Basse-Terre. Coaches drop visitors relatively close to the summit for them to approach the rim nearly 5,000 ft above sea level, on foot. The museum at the lookout point, which describes the history and volcanic formation of the surrounding islands, is popular with visitors. The natural park offers one of the most beautiful and best-preserved tropical forests in the Caribbean, where you’ll find more than 300 different kinds of trees, bushes and giant ferns. There are marked nature trails with information centres throughout the rainforest and there is the beautiful 350ft Carbet Falls. Seaport and airport overview Pole Caraibes, Guadeloupe’s international airport is managed by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Pointe a Pitre. It has a runway of 3,500 metres, capable of servicing several of the very largest planes at the same time. One terminal is dedicated to cruise home- porting for the mainly European and American passengers. And from 13th December 2006, there will be a new direct service operated by Delta Airlines from Atlanta, USA with flights on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The airport is just 15 minutes from the port of Pointe-àPitre, and one hour from the port at BasseTerre. Airlift exists to over 30 destinations in the Caribbean, Europe and America although the regular service from France is its mainstay. As there is a seamless transfer service from airport to seaport it means

there is no need to handle luggage between the two. Instead luggage is scanned at both the airport and seaport for maximum security and stress-free transfers. Security is up to ISPS standards at the airport and at the ports. The port of Pointe-à-Pitre has five quays dedicated to cruise vessels, two of which can receive cruise vessels of 300 metres in length. There are no swells and there is a draft of 9.0 metres. The port is ideal for turnaround traffic as all the marine and land-based services are on hand including quality fresh water certified by Institut Pasteur, garbage removal, laundry, sludges and grey/ black water removals, supply of fuel via barge, specialised medical assistance at the hospitals; and taxis and large coaches. Berthing facilities are also available at the Port of Basse-Terre, which is south of Guadeloupe on the route between Antigua and Dominica. Anchorages are located at Marie Galante, Iles des Saintes and Deshaies Bay. Marie Galante has the most beautiful white sand beaches surrounding the Bay of Saint Louis. The island has a history of sugarcane production, where one sugarcane factory and three rum distilleries are still active. The distilleries produce agricole rum, which is higher quality than regular rum, as it is distilled from the sugarcane juice rather than molasses. The Bay of Terre de Haut, Les Saintes is recognized as one of the most famous bays in the world as it is dominated by Fort Napoleon, and has a history of naval battles between the French and the English. Les Saintes are the lands of cactus, iguanas and gardens of exotic plants. At Deshaies there is the botanical garden with a variety of plants, trees, flowers, and flamingos as well as the zoological garden in the Natural Park of Deux Mamelles, where you can “walk trees” and discover walk on top of the trees the racoons. 

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FCCA Conference, Cozumel

Cozumel

Cozumel is home to the magnificent Palancar Reef, the second largest barrier reef in the world

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FCCA Conference, Cozumel

The land of the swallows By Gilly Ashcroft

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ozumel, the largest island in the Mexican Caribbean, traditionally known as the land of the swallows, is located close to the eastern tip of the Yucatán Peninsula. The island’s size (13 miles by 10 miles) is all the more astonishing when you consider that only 5% of the island is inhabited, the majority of which are clustered around the island’s north west arc which contours the unique coral formations for which Cozumel is so well known. An abundance of coral reefs and sea life draws many divers to these turquoise blue seas. And with temperatures, in and out of the water, averaging around 80degrees Fahrenheit throughout the year, this destination has become a firm favourite. And so it is with cruise passengers too, who find the island’s long stretches of golden beaches and coastal sand dunes, mangrove and lagoon systems equally appealing. Besides diving and snorkelling there is the Atlantis submarine for underwater marine viewing as well as Catamaran rides, horseback riding, kite boarding, buggy tours, wind surfing, kayaking, as well as a golf, tennis and fishing amongst the numerous activities available on this friendly island. Cozumel is also an island of cultural treasures, proud traditions to add to its vibrant shopping experience with San Miguel, its capital and port of entry, providing handcrafted Mexican clothing and jewellery, Mayan pottery and a folk art as well as duty-free shops for watches, jewellery and perfume – with a range as wide as your pocket. On the southern tip of the island ecoenthusiasts will find Parque Punta Sur ecological reserve – a unique environment of natural lagoons, sand dunes, reef formations, observation towers and a diverse fish population that mix with crocodiles. This is a protected area not simply for the natural and unspoiled beauty of the landscape but for the historical Punta Celarain lighthouse which also houses the maritime museum. The most important Mayan archaeological site on Cozumel is San

Gervasio, a sacred area that was strategically important for commerce and politics and a sanctuary for Goddess of Fertility X’chel. Visitors can explore four different historical districts dating from the early classical period (A.D300 -AD600) to the late post classical times of A.D1250 – A.D.1500. Chankanaab (a Mayan word meaning Little Sea) National Park is located just a short distance south of San Miguel. This is home to the world’s only inland coral reef formation, The Chankanaab Reef, which surrounds the National Park and is renowned for its trees of black coral, enormous yellow sponges, gorgonian fans and schools of brightly coloured fish and marine life. The Park offers excellent snorkeling and a sunken ship attracts divers. You also have the option of swimming with dolphins at the Dolphin Discovery, tour a reproduction Mayan village and learn about ancient customs and farming practices. There are 350 species of tropical plants from more than twenty countries in the botanical gardens and this is also a haven for indigenous wildlife and beautiful butterflies. The Museum of the Island of Cozumel is conveniently located in the heart of down town San Miguel on Avenue Rafael E. Melgar. The Museum familiarizes visitors with an understanding of the island’s geographical and historical origins. There are four interesting exhibition halls featuring nautical artifacts, swords, art and sculptures, charts and interactive demonstrations. An informative collection of murals depict the scenes Mayan life and photographs of the early island residents line its walls. A small Mayan house exhibit is another feature that represents the life and ancient customs of the island’s inhabitants. Those who are fascinated by the evolution of a island population this is truly a gem of a place not to be missed. Cozumel is an island of many choices, natural beauty and friendly people. There are numerous activities to suit the interests of every age group and with so many bars, restaurants and coffee shops within eye shot of the cruise ships, it is one of the few destinations where passengers linger until the last moment to hop back onto their ships for the next leg of their itinerary. 

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FCCA Conference Who said What?

Micky Arison, chairman and chief executive officer Carnival Corporation & plc and chairman FCCA

Arison warns of globalisation A

t the Florida Caribbean Cruise to reinforce the fact that it has become a Association (FCCA)’s Cozumel much more competitive industry. Conference Micky Arison, chairman Arison went on to state that, “despite and chief executive officer Carnival the enormous growth in beds in the Corporation & plc and chairman FCCA, construction of new ships, capacity in the spoke of the dramatic change in the Caribbean will be down this year for the industry over the past few years and its first time in my memory”. Nevertheless impact on cruising to the Caribbean. he offered hope to the Caribbean and “There is no guarantee of growth for hinted that he had a soft spot for the certain regions. The industry has truly region when he stated: “That’s not to say become global in nature – 10 years ago that the Caribbean is still not the No.1 it was a very North American/Caribbean destination for cruises, it also isn’t saying sensitive industry – but as the economies it can’t continue to be. It’s important to around the world have grown and their understand that it has the best year round populations have travelled, the industry weather, the most beautiful beaches, one has grown dramatically outside of this of the seven wonders of the world, and region [Caribbean]. An area like the Baltic there’s no reason we can’t work together has exploded in growth – historically that – the industry in the Caribbean and has only been an issue for this region Mexico – and turn that around and get [Caribbean] in the summer but as the this growth back up”. dollar has weakened and companies are In a comment about the opportunities going from dollars to pounds, euros and the industry provided, Arison made the Canadian dollars, today we are finding point that sadly not every destination new and interesting winter deployments, picks up the mantle at the opportune for example: year round Mediterranean moment by providing a few contrasting cruising; our company has three ships examples. “You’ll see certain destinations based in Barcelona. In move on opportunities and grab a global environment market share, and other areas will There’s people in Russia, Poland, allow opportunities to pass them no Bulgaria, China and India by. Take Puerto Costa Maya, it’s reason we are travelling for the first a great example of a destination time. Are they going to go that is meeting the challenge and can’t work to a sun destination or are together – the meeting the opportunity. In the they going to be interested last year they received the benefits industry in the of passenger numbers up by in seeing Florence, Venice, or St. Petersburg? And that’s Caribbean and 500,000 to 1.3 million”. He named Mexico – and Cancun as an opportunity lost, why Europe is exploding”. Arison was also astonished to get this growth as the city would have expanded, discover that the industry has particularly for the European back up. 14 ships committed to Brazil market, had they grabbed the and this combined with all opportunity when it was there. the other global deployments “Turks & Caicos is a perfect

example of an opportunity gained where, thanks to the leadership of the minister of tourism, a fantastic facility was developed and the island went from no cruise visitors to 500,000 passengers last year. So, while it is true to say that the Caribbean in general may be flat – and I hope that this will change and start to turn – even in a flat market certain destinations will see growth”. It was clear that Arison sees a Caribbean with an expanded number of destinations a priority, but he believes the culture seekers exploring other parts of the world on cruise ships are not turning their backs on the region, as they are going to want to relax and enjoy all those beautiful beaches and wonderful sunsets as well. The Caribbean has plenty to do, but those destinations who take this moment to seize the opportunity to develop their products and offerings will see growth in the coming years, even if the Caribbean cruise market remains flat. 

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FCCA Conference Who was There?

Team Barbados

Chukka Caribbean Adventures are all smiles

Team Guatemala

Micky Arison, Michele Paige and Michele Paige, President FCCA, left, Micky Arison centre and Mayor of Cozumel Gustavo Ortega Joaquin flank Team Costa Rica

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FCCA Conference Who was There?

Team Panama Team St. Maarten

Cesar Lizarraga, Puerto Costa Maya with Rick Sasso

d Rick Sasso meet the exhibitors Team Martinique with, centre, essay winner Naïna Patrice

Edward Thomas, West Indian Company with Micky Arison

Team Guadeloupe

Team Sansouchi Cruise Terminal, Santo Domingo

Team Trinidad

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FCCA Conference, Cozumel

Bartlett voices great ambitions for

Jamaica in conversation with Chris Ashcroft

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Who said What?

Hon. Edmund Bartlett, Minister of Tourism, Jamaica

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amaica’s government has decided to and luxury arrangements that ships are make tourism the centrepiece of its offering. We want to tap into that and economic transformation. According Port Antonio is being developed as our to Minister of Tourism Hon. Edmund preferred port of call for those boutique Bartlett, tourism must now be the driver ships”. for economic growth and enrichment. The minister was extremely positive in “It has the potential to create more jobs respect of a project to turn the historic faster than any other industry, and also Port Royal into a thematic entertainment convertibility in terms of planning that and cultural attraction. Bartlett sees great is second to none,” he says. demand for that type of niche and as Port Core to his thinking is that Jamaica Royal is a World Heritage Site he feels currently has plenty more attractions the project is ideally placed to become than the rest of the Caribbean but another marquee attraction. “Port Royal “lacks attractions that have marquee has history, tradition and a notoriety value, except for Dunn’s River Falls and that makes it of international and swimming with dolphins To achieve this global appeal. It is a special and unique we are looking at partnerships with the experience that should become a very investment world so we can become a important attraction for Jamaica” he said. more unique and special destination. The Port Royal though is just one corner government is providing all the necessary of a cultural triangle the government incentives”. Key to the government’s wants to transform. Just 15 minutes away strategy is the intention to develop is Spanish Town, Jamaica’s capital under tourism into an export industry and that Spanish rule. Its strong Spanish influences is why Bartlett believes investors and include a cast iron bridge, which was stakeholders will do, and invest, more. the first of its type to be built in the The minister sees the development of New World. Spanish Town together cruise tourism as central to the strategy with Kingston and Port Royal form a for Jamaica’s tourism product. As a cultural triangle that has been earmarked consequence there are ambitious plans to as an important attraction for heritage turn Jamaica into a five port destination tourism. Many of the plans are already from its existing three. The existing ports drawn up and some of the designs have at Ocho Rios, Montego Bay and Port been completed. In the end, as with all Antonio have already undergone extensive enormous tourism projects, it boils down development and this continues to keep to finance which, in this case, Bartlett is up with current market requirements. extremely confident of securing. At Ocho Rios Bartlett indicated Although Spanish Town seems to that the intention is to discontinue the be more of a challenge, due to the commercial aspects of the port educational nature of its and instead to create a dedicated appeal, Bartlett stated that: Port cruise port that will allow for “The Kingston and Park Royal Royal five or six vessels per day to be developments will happen very has history, berthed. “The implications of fast. We are looking to use the tradition and that will of course be huge, as Kingston site so as to preserve it will provide opportunity and notoriety that the integrity of Port Royal, a greater flow of visitors into particularly the sunken city, makes it of the area and beyond, creating which is the only underwater international greater demand for attractions city in the entire western World and global and services as well as jobs, and the old area that has been appeal investment and profits. submerged is there, pretty “We have further plans to much intact, and it offers a develop Port Antonio into a tremendous opportunity for boutique ship mecca. We’re marine tourism. But we have to looking for high end visitors as develop it very carefully so as we recognise that there is a huge not to destroy its archaeological development in luxury tourism integrity”. where high end visitors are now The minister expects anxious to access the exclusive the cultural triangle to be

active by 2012, two to three years after the major Falmouth development. (Falmouth will become Jamaica’s fourth port when complete at the end of 2009.) Developments at Ocho Rios and Montego Bay will run concurrently with the Falmouth project and so by 2010 Bartlett expects “to be in a position to offer four working cruise ports and a fifth under active consideration. That will allow us to have up to 15 vessels in port on any given day. That’s the capacity we will have with Falmouth being able to berth two Genesis-class ships at the same time”. Bartlett concluded with the bold claim that Jamaica is poised to become the cruise capital of the region. “At the moment we receive just over a million passengers per year, but we want to do much better than that by increasing our market share substantially”. Of equal importance to that ambition is the minister’s objective to achieve a 50% conversion of cruise visitors – that would mean half a million more land based visitors to Jamaica when considering current numbers. “It’s an area we’re going to be pursuing as part of the vision for the future. These are the traffic builders for our tourism industry as it brings heads to beds” commented Bartlett. 

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FCCA Conference, Cozumel: Who Said What?

St. Thomas set to join the

2 million club I

n conversation with the publisher, market, with Thomas mentioning Royal Edward Thomas, president and CEO, Caribbean International’s Freedom of the The West Indian Company predicts Seas calling every two weeks year-round further growth for the US Virgin Islands – bringing 4,000 passengers at every call. with St. Thomas consolidating its status Emerald Princess is calling throughout as the shopping mecca of the Caribbean. the season and Carnival Freedom began He was quick to point out that its its scheduled calls from November 20. popularity with cruise lines is thanks, in NCL’s Norwegian Gem will sail out of part, to the location of St. Thomas in New York and include St. Thomas, while relation to the US mainland, and this RCCL’s Azamara brand has Azamara factor has helped them record 1,917,371 Quest calling at St. John. US homeported passenger arrivals last year. ships are not the only ones scheduled “Cruise ships coming out of the US to visit the US Virgin Islands during mainland are at sea for two days and 2008, as St. Thomas is set to benefit ready to make their first port of call. We from the development of homeporting are blessed in that we are ideally located facilities at the Dominican Republic, to fit into that sailing pattern and as a which are now set to increase the number consequence we have become their first of ships based in the Caribbean. Many port of call on many itineraries”, of these deployments have Thomas explained. He stated been primarily marketed to further that it is not just the appeal to the European and passenger numbers that support South American markets, this trend toward significant from where there exists good Passengers’ growth but what they spend airlift to Santo Domingo. St. spending on ashore, which is revealed in the Thomas is once more set to shopping has government’s receipts from sales gain market share from this become the taxes. These are very strong development, as it is well backbone of in the territory because of the located as a transit port for cruise passengers’ spending cruises out of Santo Domingo. the economy habits, to the extent that their “If all goes well we should shopping has become the reach two million passengers backbone of the economy. during 2008” states Thomas, A number of new ship calls who was equally proud underpin their position in the of the new crew facility

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that has been developed as a public/ private sector attraction by The West Indian Company and Paradisegate Corporation, at the end of the dock where the third cruise ship is berthed. Here there is a swimming pool with authentic sand, volleyball and all the other facilities the crew like to have access to. Crown Bay, which has seen significant investment over recent years, is slowly beginning to come into its own as Thomas explained. “By the end of the 2008/9 season we believe the retail units in the new development will be fully occupied, and this will help alleviate some of the traffic that builds up in Main Street and from passengers travelling from the West Indian Company dock to the east of the bay”. The redevelopment of the Yacht Haven marina has seen the parallel growth of sailing trips around the island, and the new Butterfly Museum has already become an enjoyable attraction for children and adults alike. A sushi restaurant has sprung up and the tramway continues to do well to add to the upscale shopping experience, which continues to generate enormous revenues for the government. Thomas concluded by stating that “All in all we are forecasting 3.5% annual growth over the next 3 years”, which should take passenger numbers to 2.2 million by 2010. 

FCCA Conference, Cozumel

Puerto Rico Terestella Gonzalez Denton, Director, Puerto Rico Tourism Company

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he cruise sector is very important back riding – more activity options and for our island as it represents close expanded the product as the profile of to 1.3 million passengers a year and passengers is changing and they’re more this equates to an economic impact of demanding of each destination. up to $300 million. When the governor Puerto Rico’s market position has appointed me executive director there become to explore and that’s why we have were things that needed to be done to launched in November 2005 a marketing increase the number of passengers coming campaign – Explore Beyond the Shore. to our island and I am very happy to tell Puerto Rico is not an all inclusive you we had an increase in the year 2006/7 destination it is a higher market than that. of 2.5% to 1.376 million passengers and Visitors expect more and so we need to be this is still increasing. And the reason at the same level of expectation. for this increase is we have developed an What we’ve also done is develop some incentive programme to make the cruise more routes not just for those who stay at ships stay longer in our destination, as to hotels but also those that come off cruise have more ships to home port helps us ships. There’s a Salsa route for dancing with the pre- and post cruise business. which involves different hotels where The number of passengers has you can dance and learn Salsa integrated increased dramatically, and into a cultural district and because of that we also have an metropolitan area developed Puerto incentive for the people to buy by the government. There’s a Rico local products. That’s why we new product called ‘Cultural have expanded our destination District’ that interconnects is not an all team to include the ports. different events that are inclusive We have been working happening at the destination destination with the BREA study that i.e. galleries, museums, music, it is a higher showed that San Juan visitor’s art and the coliseum and market than expenditure increased – we’ve convention centre for events. expanded our tours from the We are revamping the Lelolai that core range of the city tours, Programme so you can enjoy shopping and the rainforest. seeing it in the Plaza as well as Now we have more than the hotels. 14 new tours for the more A new mountain route has specialised market – like horse been developed as we are

working very had to develop sustainable tourism. There is a place called Utuado which is in the centre of the island, originally named by the Indians – and it is a place that has the most beautiful scenery with a lake where you can have boat rides to different restaurants. It is a typical Creole place and nearby there is the National Observatory with parks and lakes. The place is very beautiful with visitors welcomed like kings and queens and it’s just one hour to get there along a very scenic route up the mountain. And there is good signage so those who wish to rent a car and go on their own can do so. We are trying to bring people to other areas outside the metropolitan zones so visitors have a sense of what Puerto Rico is all about. Now we’re working with the Mayors and different communities around Puerto Rico who in turn are beginning to develop their own tours and activities to bring tourism to their areas. In Puerto Rico you can do so many things from gastronomy to visiting plantations to taste coffee. As almost 30% of tourism is represented by local people we are also developing these activities to enhance the quality of life of our citizens. At the moment tourism is 7% of our GDP and we want to increase that as for too long we have lived in the comfort zone. That is now changing. 

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FCCA Conference, Cozumel

St. Kitts Richard Skerritt explains to Chris Ashcroft the background to the development of cruise tourism to St. Kitts and how the latest project will impact on the visitor experience.

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ver the space of three years we will became an issue St. Kitts, which is right have moved from approximately on the fringe – just South of St. Maarten 200,000 cruise passengers visiting – fortunately St.Kitts became one of the St. Kitts to just over 400,000 in 2008. few survivors reachable in normal cruising One of the reasons why that came about time without having to burn extra fuel. was that the pier we had got badly So a number of things that have come damaged twice by hurricanes. It was together to make that happen. clearly inadequately engineered and I like to think that I had a lot to do with so it cost the Government a fortune to it, but I was in the industry for 10 years rebuild in spite of whatever insurance before I went into government, so I have policies were in place. But it also created good relations with these people, I can an opportunity to do it right and so we knock on their doors. I became a Minister built a pier which people are trying to in November 2004 within three weeks of build today. So when our Government becoming a Minister, the FCCA brought re-opened the pier in 2003 it could a team down to see me, initiated by them, immediately take larger ships. And when because they felt they had someone who in 2004/5 the QM II was launched and really understood the cruise industry. deployed for some Caribbean cruises it The relationships have been good and sailed to the only two ports at we have repackaged what which it could dock. All of a we are representing to the Over the sudden we got 13 calls from cruise lines, but really it is space a 3,000 passenger high end a combination of our pier, ship, bringing close to 40,000 that has been costly but very of three years passengers and the buzz we timely, and our geography. we will have got from that was wonderful. The point is, in the process of moved from The shop keepers were thrilled those fortunate coincidences, approximately as they had never had so much the onus has to be on making 200,000 cruise the visitor experience the best business in one day in their shop’s history – so that was a it can be which is where the passengers really defining moment and it development comes in. visiting St. actually came because of the In this exciting redesign, Kitts to just pier. things like the future over 400,000 Location has been helping transportation needs, the us too as when fuel costs future of the public spaces, in 2008

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the softening and greening of the area, these are things which are being built in to the master plan for the first time, which is exactly Hon. Richard Skerritt what I have been Minister of Tourism, worried about Sports and Culture, for the previous St. Kitts. master plan of 15 years ago, when people did not understand what we understand now. So the focus has been to achieve an integration into the main town so that Port Zante doesn’t seem to be set apart. There will be residential activity and night life so that when there are no ships in, while it will not be so busy, it will have a local component. The vendors, the transportation sector, which tends to be dominated by locals and a mix of merchants, have investment incentives that are attracting a lot of the merchants who are already in places like St. Maarten and Aruba and so Port Zante is taking on an amazing new life over the next two to five years and it’s going to create a front line for the Island which everybody will enjoy and be proud of and it won’t just be that place where the cruise ships come to. 

FCCA Conference, Cozumel

An oasis of calm By Gilly Ashcroft

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t is well known that some cruise back to reality. passengers use their itineraries as a trial Those seeking an active few days need to see whether any of the Caribbean not look further than the two swimming destinations visited are worth returning to pools, the putting green, tennis courts, for that long weekend or one week away children’s club or even one of the from their hectic working lives. Cozumel courses for scuba diving which features is ideal for those who seek a get-away a new certification training centre for from it all location. first time divers, as well as one for The Presidente InterContinental certified divers. Resort and Spa is one such place. This The restaurant choices range from deluxe hotel reopened in November dining at the Italian restaurant Alfredo 2006 after a $25 million refurbishment di Roma, El Caribeno, a magnificent that transformed it into the first fiveover-sized palapa for relaxed dining in star luxury resort and spa in Cozumel. a perfect setting next to the sea or the Located along 800 metres of a pristine, Cana Brava Beach Bar and Grill for private beach and just minutes away light lunches and drinks on the beach. from the magnificent Palancar Reef, the The 6,500 sq.ft Mandara Spa second largest barrier reef in the world, offers a variety of unique, therapeutic the Presidente fits the description massage and revitalizing treatments perfectly. and incorporates Mayan traditions and All of the Resort’s 220 rooms and indigenous fruits and herbs to indulge, suites have designer furnishings rejuvenate and relax the body and soul. and top level amenities, including The Spa caters for both men and women Egyptian cotton bed linen. and there is a 24 hour fitness The décor, fabric colours centre as well as a hair and nail The and artwork have been salon. beautifully chosen to complement the The Presidente appointed lush, colourful outdoor InterContinental is a true environment. The beautifully hideaway, in a location oceanfront appointed oceanfront rooms that provides grounds and rooms and and suites have delightful beach front in immaculately suites have views of the Caribbean Sea. manicured order by staff delightful But for those who can’t quite that are efficient, friendly views of the bring themselves to cut and helpful. If you wish to themselves off completely, Caribbean Sea recharge your batteries and at the click of a button the you are able to book direct widescreen plasma televisions flights to Cozumel, you will or wireless internet find an oasis of calm at the connection quickly bring you Presidente. 

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Caribbean Destinations

Grenada The ‘Spice Isle’ of the Caribbean

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Grenada

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here’s a school of thought which believes that wh when God created the chain of vol volcanic Caribbean em islands that have emerged to become the mo most st p pop opul ular ar ccru ru ship destination the popular cruise in the world, special care was assigned to Grenada. Position Positioned most southerly at 12 degrees north of the Equator, this 120 sq mile trop tropical paradise has re carved for itself, a reputation that has motivated discer discerning cruise ship passengers to identif identify with cruises that have incorporated G Grenada in their itineraries. Testimon Testimonials from former visitors have augmen augmented the level of inte in tere rest st ttha hatt no now w ex exi i for cruises to this interest that exists unique and unspoile unspoiled destination. The State of Gren Grenada which includes the sister islands of C Carriacou and P i M i i i Petite Martinique gives visitors a special tropical treat of historical, cultural and natural attractions. They include the warm, hospitable, welcoming characteristics of its people, along with the charming ambience that overwhelms the new cruise ship port that has transformed the picturesque and historic Esplanade. In Grenada, passengers can visit the various sites and attractions of the island, actively participate in activities or simply relax on the white sand beaches, and at the end of the day purchase the spices and other local craft available. Within the capital city of St. George’s, visitors should take in the kaleidoscope of priceless architectural structures – buildings, churches and undulating

roads that are laced with history and names that originate as far back as the 17th century; names that are linked to French Generals, British Lords, Governors, Mayors, Lieutenants and many more. It would be especially interesting to climb the steps of Fort George and Fort Frederick; forts that have acted as the eyes and ears of Grenada by providing the strength to defend the honor of queens and kings during much of its history. Away from the city, cruise ship passengers can ramble within the country sides and stroll through historic lanes to petroglyphs, spice plantations, and cliff sites that are notorious for French-Carib combats. Exposure to opportunities to become involved in hiking within the rain forest, as well as mountain biking, diving, and river tubing, makes Grenada a perfect cruise ship destination. Add to this the bliss of exotic hideaways, numerous panoramic views, lush mountains, hidden beaches, coves, caves, islets, waterfalls and underwater art sculptures and one is convinced about the rich diversity of the “Spice of the Caribbean”. Admiration of the colourful and artistic presentations of Grenada’s tropical blooms and flowers, which have won gold and silver awards in the annual Royal Horticultural Society event at Chelsea in the United Kingdom, is another high point of a Grenada visit. Tasting rums and liqueurs that have been awarded gold, silver and bronze

medals at international competitions and sharing in the national pride associated with the receipt of bronze and silver medals from re-noun forums like the “Taste of the Caribbean” competition are also opportunities that visitors can savour. Adoration for Grenada’s exquisite local dialects, tropical fruits, provisions and spices is also common among visitors. Cruise ship passengers can deck themselves in some of its most famous oils and perfumes and sample the indigenous art displayed on paintings, crafts and fabrics. Several shopping centres in the capital St. George’s, and in the environs of the world-famous Grand Anse Beach, allow for all aspects of purchases deemed appropriate. Visitors wishing to excite their senses with local recipes rich in world famous spices, created by a history and culture that have transcended from one generation to another, can do so. Restaurants specialize in cuisine utilizing produce from both the land and surrounding sea. In addition to these blissful experiences, visitors can examine treasured secrets like the memoirs in the museum that detail the transition from Africa, as well as the period of colonialism under various European nations. To this, and much more, visitors are welcomed to the most memorable experiences, come savour and enjoy “the Spice of The Caribbean” Grenada. 

For more information please visit www.grenadagrenadines.com

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Caribbean Destinations

St.Vincent and the Grenadines

The Caribbean’s most

diverse destination

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St. Vincent and the Grenadines

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he fertile and mountainous island of St. Vincent is the jumping off point for the Grenadines, a string of 32 tiny islands spreading south for 45 miles (72 km). The country is blessed with a myriad of natural attractions including a live volcano, some of the most dramatic mountain scenery in the Caribbean, jungle-like rainforest, towering waterfalls, fine dolphin and whale watching, and scores of sparkling white beaches lapped by clear turquoise waters. SVG also offers rare black lava beaches that rival those in Tahiti and Hawaii, excellent diving, a variety of accommodation, world-class restaurants, warm and friendly people and unique Caribbean culture. Our multi-island destination is about to take off into a new era of Tourism Developments, through the Government and investors’ infrastructural enhancements: namely new hotels, airports and roads. St. Vincent and the Grenadines now boasts the newly reopened Grenadine House offering 20 boutique rooms, among other amenities. We are also looking forward to an 80 room development in Friendship Bay, Bequia – the Bequia Beach Hotel, premiered in December 2007 with 12 fully appointed rooms, a penthouse

suite with a private whirl pool and deck, and six bungalows, including three twobedroom and three one-bedroom villas. An infinity swimming pool, the Blue Tropic Café and the Beach Bar will complete this initial phase. Additionally, St. Vincent’s first condovilla resort, Buccament Beach Resort is well on its way. It includes 291 spacious cabanas, four apartment blocks and two hotel blocks. An adjoining spa resort will house restaurant and spa services, as well as 40 luxury rooms. In mid-2008, an elaborate restaurant and bar in the form of a pirate ship (inspired by the trio of “Pirates of the Caribbean” blockbuster movies filmed here) will follow. These aspects and more of this development will undoubtedly position our destination for increased quality tourist arrivals and expenditure in the year ahead. Importantly, coupled with such hotel developments are the airport developments taking place throughout the island. The US $15.5m expansion of the airport in Canouan is nearing completion and the US $178m Argyle international airport, slated for 2011, will effectively open up the country to jet aircraft and non-stop flights from North America cities. The road developments taking place on St. Vincent are also fundamentally important to the

enhancement of our tourism services. The European Union is strengthening the management and sustainable development of the Tourism Sector, so that is can contribute to the longterm development of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. A total of 19 tourism recreation sites and attractions will be developed, under the five million Euro Tourism Development project, slated to continue through 2009. Most of the works relate mainly to the building of welcome booths, washrooms, parking, picnic facilities, trail access, site interpretation, and security in Fort Murray on Union Island, Tobago Cays Marine Park, and on St. Vincent, Wallilabou Fall Parks, Soufriere Cross Country Trail, Rawacou Beach, Dark View Falls, Cumberland Beach Recreation Centre, Cumberland Nature Trail, Vermont Nature Trail, Owia Salt Pond, Botanic Gardens, Belmont Lookout, Baleine Falls, Black Point, Fitzhughes Heritage Centre, Youroumei Heritage Village, Trinity Falls, Rabacca River Recreation Park and Layou Petroglyph Park, and Tobago Cays Marine Park. A management team will be assigned to the sites following the completion of each project, overlooking the day-to-day operation of the sites, and user fees will be attached to each venue. 

FACILITY

AWARDS

ISPS COMPLIANCE

The Cruise Ship berth has twenty-seven (27) shops excluding a Tourism Bureau and a meeting room. There is also a Lounge that has a complement of four (4) shops: Two bars and two restaurants. The Ferry Berth has one café and a bar. A restaurant and bar occupying about 1,500sq.ft of space is housed upstairs in the Ferry Berth.

In 2006 St. Vincent and the Grenadines was awarded “Most Improved Destination” by Dream World Magazine and in 2007 the island received “The Caribbean Island of the Year” by Caribbean World Awards.

Both the Cruise Ship and Ferry Terminal in Kingstown and Port Elizabeth in the Grenadines island of Bequia are ISPS compliant. However, the Canouan and Union Island Ports are still waiting to be upgraded.

Other Ferry Terminals are being proposed for the neighbouring islands of Bequia and Canouan.

CRUISE SHIP CALLS

LOCATION

BERTHING CAPACITY

Year Cruise Calls Passengers 2003 248 2004 225 2005 183 2006 263 2007* 229

The Cruise Ship Berth is located on the Eastern side of the Capital City, Kingstown. This facility houses the Cruise Ship and a Ferry Berth. The Ferry Berth is used mainly by local passengers traveling to and from the neighbouring islands of the Grenadines.

The Cruise Ship Berth has two (2) berths. The North Berth has a length of 260m and a depth of 11.35m, while the South Berth has a length of 100m and a depth of 8.90m.

Total 66,545 77,585 69,855 106,475 118,221

* Estimated for 2007, up to December 2007. Passengers list does not include the crew.

There are five (5) Berths in the Grenadines each with a width of 8.0m and a depth of 7.31m.

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Regional Reports: Baltic Ports

The BALTIC The world’s fastest growing cruise destination A

By Tony Peisley

lthough the Mediterranean has are significantly younger – according to increased faster in the last couple of the survey survey, the average was 42 with more years, the Baltic remains the world’s than half under 40. There are three other fastest-growing major cruise region over key developments in this context: the six years since 2001. • AIDA has seen a drop of five years in It has about 50% of the cruises and the average age of its Baltic passengers, passenger nights in Northern Europe, partly due to its increased number of compared with about 25% for the short cruises Norwegian Fjords and 25% spread • Carnival Cruise Lines (CCL)’s decision between Western European, roundto operate its first Baltic programme, Britain and Iceland/Greenland itineraries. bringing a younger, more active North North America supplies about half American passenger and the Baltic’s cruise visitors with Germany • Royal Caribbean International (RCI)’s and the UK the other main markets. In first series of Baltic mini-cruises (out fact, among Europeans, the popularity of of Stockholm), also attracting younger cruising to Northern Europe (primarily passengers. the Baltic) has been growing faster than that of both the Mediterranean and the This all adds up to an emerging need Caribbean, albeit from a lower base. for adaptation of the Baltic product with Mediterranean-facing countries still more attractions and tours (eg. the new take the top four places but Norway, ABBA museum opening in Stockholm Russia, Sweden and Estonia are all in the in 2009) a priority to appeal to younger top ten most popular cruise destinations people and families. for Europeans. Visitor satisfaction levels with the Baltic The Baltic surge from Europe is being have always been high, but this cannot driven by increased deployment by AIDA, now be taken for granted as the plus Costa and MSC Cruises in particular points for one age group can easily be and this, in turn, is beginning to change negatives for another. the demographic of the typical Baltic In the past, this is something that would passenger. have been beyond the control of ports, A 2007 survey by Cruise but the emergence of Cruise Baltic Baltic confirmed that there and a variety of other, smaller The has been a significant cruise “networks” means that they average can work more closely with their increase in the number of age of Baltic Southern European cruise tourist partners on land, to ensure visitors – primarily Italians that the changing needs of the passengers and Spanish travelling on visitors they attract will be met. has been Costa and MSC. This is set The ports need to be confident in the to grow still further as both that this will happen in order to lines add capacity and Spain’s 50-60-plus. justify the various investments in The Spaniards their own cruise infrastructure. RCCL-owned Pullmantur also moves into the region. By 2009, Copenhagen will and Traditionally the average have the largest cruise facilities Italians are age of Baltic passengers has in Northern Europe, following been in the 50-60-plus range. significantly a €30m investment in a new port younger The Spaniards and Italians section in the North Harbour.

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A long pier in the outer harbour will be completed in two stages stages, as will a new cruise terminal in 2011, and extended in 2016. Stockholm opens a 4,000-passenger terminal at Frihamnen this year, and plans for lengthening its quay are going through the environmental approval process. Another Swedish port, Visby, also has plans for a longer dock so that it can become accessible to the largest cruise ships. The first two cruise piers of the $1bn port development at St Petersburg’s Vasilevsky Island open later this year, with two more berths and a second cruise terminal ready in summer 2009, and the final two plus a third terminal by 2010. Waterborne links to the centre of the city and various tour sites are also being established. Tallinn has plans for a twin berth at its Old City Harbour, while berths at the Hernesaari section of Helsinki port are being dredged and a first exclusive cruise berth opens this summer at the other Finnish port of Turku. Lithuania’s Klaipeda is building a passenger terminal for 2009, while Poland’s Gdynia plans to upgrade its berth and quay and dedicate one ferry berth for larger cruise ships. Oslo port wants more berths and a cruise terminal but there are local environmental issues delaying these plans. Having opened its third terminal last year, Kiel plans to spend a further 11m upgrading its cruise infrastructure and expects to add a fourth terminal in the future. Rostock-Warnemunde will open a newly extended berth for mega-ships this August with another 10m set aside for more infrastructure improvements by 2012. 

Regional Report

Norway By Tony Peisley

T

he full impact of the NOx Tax introduced by the Norwegian Government in 2007 will only begin to unravel as cruise lines reveal their deployment plans for 2010. Its sudden imposition – without any real warning or consultation – meant that most cruise lines had to take the financial hit in 2007 and 2008, itineraries for which were already published. There were a handful of dropped calls by a couple of smaller brands but Saga Cruises was typical in absorbing an estimated $1m extra to its 2007/8 operating costs in the region. From 2008/9, it will incorporate the tax in its ticket price but, like Fred Olsen Cruises and other regulars fjords cruise operators, Saga made it clear that – unless attempts to reduce its impact succeeded – the tax would play a part in its itineraryplanning in the future. Holland America Line (HAL) is the first to make major cuts in its Norway

deployment from the 2008/9 seasons. The significance of all this was underlined by a study (Horwath Consulting) that estimated a 22% drop ($58m) in the economic benefit from cruise tourism if the number of Norwegian fjords cruises fell 20%-30% and Oslo calls by 10%, because ships are avoiding making more than one consecutive Norwegian port call. There would also be an additional $260m loss of indirect revenue. In 2007, ship calls did fall (by about 3%) but, because of the ships’ increasing capacities, passenger visits rose 7%. As Cruise Norway has targeted one million individual passengers calling at the country’s ports by 2015, compared with fewer than 370,000 in 2007 and 180,000 in 2000, it is clearly a matter of understandable concern by ports and cruise lines alike. In 2007, Skjolden, which is building a new mega-ship terminal for 2010,

offset the impact of the NOx tax by waiving harbour dues, ISPS and mooring expenses. But this is only one of a rising number of examples of environmental concerns impacting on the industry’s planned growth. Following local complaints, the fjord port Geiranger is restricting access to a maximum of two ships and 5,000 passengers in order to minimise air pollution problems. Ships also have to ensure waste incinerators are switched off along with tender engines when docked alongside. But other ports are still looking to grow their cruise business, with Alesund expanding its facilities to allow for two large ships, Eidfjord planning to double the length of its berth, and Stavanger completing a new, longer dock and the conversion of a ferry terminal into a cruise-friendly facility by the end of this year. 

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Regional Reports

North America By Tony Peisley

Miami – the heart of America’s cruise industry

A

lthough the US-based cruise lines’ North American resident cruise market. focus has now switched away from Its leading ports are keen to maintain the knee-jerk reaction of so-called the state’s and, more particularly, their Homeland cruising towards an even more own share which is why, late in 2007, Port global approach to deployment than Everglades (Fort Lauderdale) signed a existed pre-9/11, there is still plenty of 10-year agreement with Royal Caribbean activity among North American ports and Cruises (RCCL) that guarantees that regions looking to secure their share of 8.5m of its brands’ passengers will use the the economic benefits generated by cruise port during that period. tourism. About 600,000 of these will come But, just as the US and Canadian annually from the two Royal Caribbean governments have no International (RCI) Genesis ships, significant nationwide which will both be homeporting Florida policies on this key industry, at the port from 2010. As part of ports so these activities continue to this deal, RCCL is also investing handled more $37m into the cost of expanding lack a unified approach and thus vary widely in style and than 5m cruise Terminal 18 just for these ships. substance from port to port, Having already doubled the size embarkations region to region. of one its terminal baggage halls in in 2007, which 2007, the port plans to refurbish Florida ports handled is nearly a more than 5m cruise or rebuild 12 other terminals embarkations in 2007, which third of the by 2012, when it is predicting it is not only nearly a third of will have overtaken Miami as the worldwide the worldwide total but – world’s leading cruise homeport. total excluding passengers flying In fact, it has recently revised in from overseas – also still its 2020 master plan to forecast represents nearly half the double the number of cruise

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passengers by the end of the decade. Both it and Port Canaveral have sometimes handled more cruise passengers in a year than Miami but their totals have included significantly more one-day casino or party cruise passengers. For conventional multi-day cruising, Miami has led the way for decades and it is certainly not sitting on its laurels as Port Everglades expands its share of that business. It, too, is forecasting to double its cruise traffic by 2020 and has recently completed two new terminals for Carnival Cruise Lines (CCL) and redesigned the two these replace for Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) to use. It also had plans for a Genesis-size terminal but this may be delayed by RCI’s decision to go to Fort Lauderdale first. As a major cargo port and hub for the Caribbean and Latin America, traffic in and around Miami has become a major issue for port-users and city residents alike. A new road effectively separating cargo and cruise traffic is only a partial solution, so the city and Dade County finally agreeing to help fund a tunnel

North American Ports

linking port and city was a major breakthrough late in 2007. Although some funding issues remain, there is some confidence that the tunnel could be in place by 2012. For its part, Port Canaveral is building a new terminal and berth for mega-ships of Genesis size and has plans to dredge and widen the harbour channel and turning basin. Jacksonville’s plans for a new cruise terminal will have been given new impetus by an increase in CCL’s capacity from the port, but will probably require the introduction of a second CCL ship or a new year-round ship from another brand, to trigger the development which would either involve converting a container terminal or a greenfield site at nearby Mayport. Despite CCL’s delay in returning to its pre-Hurricane Katrina capacity because of perception problems amongst its passengers, it cast an effective vote of confidence in the long-term future of the port of New Orleans by extending its operating contract to 2010. This supported the port’s decision to continue with its pre-Katrina plan to convert the Poland Avenue cargo wharf into a new cruise terminal as part of a $3bn waterfront development. The hurricane problems of the Gulf of Texas have clearly impacted the previously rapid growth of emerging cruise ports like New Orleans, Houston and – to a lesser

extent – Galveston. Houston, its Bermuda programme with But all three are continuing to capacity increasing this year which expand and enhance their cruise and next, the port of Boston currently lacks was naturally keen on a $70m facilities. a regular This year Houston, which proposal to link a cargo building currently lacks a regular with its Black Falcon cruise homeporting homeporting cruise line, is due cruise line, is terminal to create a new megato open a new $81m cruise terminal, berth and ground terminal and 1,000ft berth, and due to open transportation centre together a new $81m there are plans for two more to with a revenue-generating handle an eventual total that the cruise terminal shopping and entertainment port predicts could reach 1.7m mall. and 1,000ft passengers (counted twice). No If it gets the green light, this berth date is given for reaching this development could be open total but it has already forecast early in 2010. 500,000 by 2012. Elsewhere in the state, Galveston, which is now the fourth Gloucester has opened a new multibusiest US homeport, has an ongoing purpose marine terminal and, along the $12m improvement programme for its Eastern Seaboard, Philadelphia (Camden) cruise facilities and was boosted by RCI’s has plans for a new terminal while it is decision to deploy Voyager of the Seas upgrading its existing one. from the port this past winter and also Having opened its $13m terminal at 2008/9. This is the largest ship ever to use South Locust Point in 2006, Baltimore this or any other Texan port. is expecting a significant increase in Although Florida remains the number cruise embarkations during 2008, while one cruise state, there are in fact more Washington DC’s Wilmington has plans individual port developments – either to improve its facilities up to homeporting recently completed, underway or planned standards. – in the sector along the US East Coast. A revitalised New York is in the middle Norfolk, Virginia, opened its $55m of a variety of cruise port expansion Half Moon terminal last year while and improvement plans, with the next Portland, Maine, opens a combined cruise milestone the revamping of one of the and ferry terminal (Ocean Gateway) this Manhattan terminals by the end of 2009. year. Although some of the cruise traffic is Having signed a new 10-year heading southbound to the Caribbean agreement with NCL for it to continue (including during the winter), the routes Houston’s new cruise terminal

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Regional Reports

Vancouver, Canada’s busiest cruise port, saw a 13% increase in 2007.

to New England remain a key to New more tourism facilities, the obvious York port’s continued cruise traffic choice, it is rarely included in itineraries. growth. Now, after several years’ consideration, This, in turn, has put pressure on the Canadian government has finally existing ports on the traditional itinerary linked with Quebec on a project to build a paths to upgrade and expand, while also 300-metre pier there. prompting local authorities This is one of the projects and cruise lines to search that the St Lawrence Cruise Seattle’s out potential new ports to Association believes will ensure success cruise traffic quadruples between add repeater appeal to these in establishing 2006 and 2014. cruises. As ships en route to Another new port is being itself as a rival Quebec regularly detour developed at Havre Saint-Pierre, to Vancouver from the St Lawrence Seaway even nearer Quebec, with a $10m as a homeport terminal and quay operational to show passengers the for Alaska spectacular fall foliage and from this spring. cruises, has whale watching along the Meanwhile, in New Brunswick, Saguenay fjord, the town of boosted cruise Saint John is building a $6m Saguenay itself is the ideal cruise terminal as part of a $21m tourism for place for a port of call. development, in preparation for many West But, because it currently an expected 40% increase in traffic Coast ports requires tender service and by 2009.

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Charlottetown on Prince Edward Island recently opened an $18m Historic Waterfront development that includes a new 183-metre pier, while Newfoundland’s Corner Brook plans new passenger and crew reception areas. The government of Nova Scotia has promised to support these smaller ports in their efforts to promote themselves as potential calls on itineraries using Halifax as a hub for flycruises. Ironically it is the success of a US port, Seattle, in establishing itself as a serious rival to Vancouver as a homeport for Alaska cruises, that has boosted cruise tourism for a number of West Coast Canadian ports. The Passenger Services section of the Jones Act requires foreign-flag cruise ships to include non-US ports in itineraries homeported in the US, so those using Seattle to go to Alaska

North American Ports

typically include a stop in Victoria, which has therefore been justified in spending more than $3m on its Ogden Point terminal and $200,000 on the Ship Point terminal used by smaller ships. Prince Rupert has also invested $16m on two terminals as it expects 200,000 cruise visitors by 2014 while Nanaimo has improved its tender dock but has more ambitious plans for a $15m cruise berth so that ships can dock. It has no doubt looked enviously at the $24m terminal built with public money to launch Campbell River as a new cruise port. The busiest Canadian cruise port, Vancouver, is the only one to have lost out through the emergence of Seattle but, after four years of declining numbers, it saw a 13% increase in 2007. There are no plans, though, for any major expansion of its current cruise facilities, but a rapid transit line between the airport and the waterfront is due to open for the 2010 Winter Olympics, so this will benefit the flycruise sector which is the main part of its cruise business. It has also linked with Seattle in a joint effort to reduce emissions by 70% from ships at berth by 2010. As part of this, Seattle has arranged a new shore power facility for Holland America Line (HAL) ships. Seattle has also delayed its plan to switch and convert two terminal facilities and so create a new cruise terminal for 2009.

Nowhere in North America are the environmental challenges for the cruise industry greater than on the West Coast and within Alaska in particular. There is no doubt that the strength of the environmental lobby drove the imposition of the $50 head tax on Alaskabound cruise lines and their passengers along with a series of other punitive measures apparently designed – although this was not accepted by the state legislature – to reduce cruise capacity expansion in the region. Having been caught out by the strength of public opinion against its presence, the cruise industry responded by setting up the Alaska Cruise Association to forge closer ties with local communities. But, although cruise lines have made noises about reducing capacity and switching ships away, the reality is that Alaska is a hugely popular – and highyielding – destination which they would be highly reluctant to lose or diminish so Ketchikan’s considered decision to spend $40m on upgrading and expanding its cruise facilities is unlikely to prove unwise. Further down the US West Coast both Los Angeles and San Francisco have seen major projects to expand their cruise facilities to handle the larger mega-ships and so help boost their largely stagnant cruise traffic blocked for a mixture of reasons – financial, logistical and environmental.

LA has had to settle for an $11m upgrade of existing facilities and the plan to have shore power available from the end of this year while San Francisco is also setting up a shore power system for Princess ships and developing a dry dock for post-panamax ships from later this year. For San Diego, it is a different story as it is building a new terminal large enough for simultaneous handling of two mega-ships. Work starts in 2010 but, with investment from CCL, it is currently upgrading existing facilities in time for 2009. There had been rising local environmental concerns at the rapid expansion of cruise traffic to the Hawaiian Islands. These, though, will lessen with NCL America’s reduced capacity for 2008/9 and the question mark on its future in the region following Apollo Management’s $1bn investment in NCL Corp. The concern now is for foreign flag lines operating not just to Hawaii but also to Alaska, due to a proposed reinterpretation of that Passenger Services provision in the Jones Act which would require them to spend much more time in non-US ports, on an US port intensive itinerary, than they currently do. This is being done to protect NCL America’s US flag operation in Hawaii but could have implications for all itineraries around the US coastline. 

San Diego is building a new terminal large enough for simultaneous handling of two mega-ships. Work starts in 2010 but, with investment from CCL, it is currently upgrading existing facilities in time for 2009.

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Regional Report

Mediterranean By Tony Peisley

A

lthough exact figures are harder to establish than for any other major cruise destination due to the much greater number of smaller cruise brands in the region, this year appears to bring a capacity increase of about 10% for the Mediterranean. This is less than half that achieved in 2007 but impressive nonetheless and with two significant highlights: • the summer arrival of the first Freedom-class ship (Independence of the Seas) cruising from Southampton during the summer and • the deployment of another Royal Caribbean International (RCI) ship (Brilliance of the Seas) on winter as well as summer cruises. The former meant some rapid dredging and other facility-expanding work for ports keen to attract the largest ship yet to cruise in the Mediterranean, while the latter brings other ports some welcome winter business to help justify investment made or planned in cruise tourism-related infrastructure. It also helps deflect some of the criticism coming the industry’s way about its failure so far to prevent congestion in popular ports on certain days during the summer. Although there are problems with cruise companies risking anti-trust or allied accusations about operating cartels if they talk to each other about deployment decisions, there does appear to be a lack of will – or certainly a lack of urgency – about dealing with an issue that is only going to get worse with the new industry focus on Europe. Simply putting the onus onto ports to turn business away is not the answer as, whether privately- or publicly-

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owned, these have financial targets to meet and most appear unwilling to risk losing future business by turning away too many calls due to congestion on a particular day. Unless they are in Libya, of course, where the renewal of diplomatic relations with the USA had fuelled optimism for developing that country’s several ports and major sites into a significant element of the Mediterranean’s cruise tourism, only for subsequent rules of entry changes to kill these hopes almost stone dead for the time being. Elsewhere in the Mediterranean, part of the answer to congestion must lie – as with the Caribbean – in the creation of new ports and the enlargement of existing ones. There is also some evidence that smaller lines are switching ships away from the larger marquee ports in Italy and Spain but, so far, this appears to be just as much about the high costs of calling as it is about the congestion issues. Similarly, it was concerns about cost and the quality of the cruise infrastructure that persuaded Costa to help set up Savona as a rival homeport to Genoa. But it is its own congestion issues which has prompted Naples to promote the neighbouring port of Castellamare as an alternative cruise call now that a 150m berth has been built. A new terminal at Ravenna’s port is due in 2010 while Trieste has set itself up as an alternative, overflow port to the increasingly busy Venice. The public/private company now operating it plans to lengthen and widen the existing terminal to allow for

expanded disembarking facilities and also the berthing of two 3,000-passenger ships simultaneously from 2010. Sicily also has a new cruise port – Trapani, where a new tender pier is part of a long-term investment aimed at making it a port of call for smaller ships. In Sardinia, where a new terminal and 325 metre berth opened at Cagliari last year, two 275 metre berths have also been converted for cruise ship use in an attempt to attract more cruise lines to include the rarely-featured Olbia in their itineraries. Along the French Riviera, Antibes moved into the cruise sector with its first-ever call in 2007 while, as part of the island’s positioning of itself as a potential homeport, Corsica’s Ajaccio opens a new pier later this year and dredging is planned for Portovecchio, where three quays were also upgraded last year, to allow larger ships to dock from 2009. Louis Cruise Lines, MSC Cruises and Costa Cruises are negotiating with Marseille over the port’s offer of 25 years of preferential use of its main cruise berths and terminal, in return for a guarantee of up to 1m passengers and 450 calls a year. Malta’s sister island Gozo is being promoted as a cruise port for small, boutique ships. The main pier at Kusadasi is being extended and there are plans for another, but the proposed development of a new cruise port in Istanbul has stalled, so other Turkish ports are emerging. These include Akdeniz (Antalya), which is having a new terminal built by 2010 to make it more suitable for homeporting; Marmaris, where a terminal is also being built; and Sinop.

Mediterranean Ports

The Black Sea port of Sochi plans a new 2km quay and a cruise terminal, in time for its staging of the 2014 Winter Olympics, while Batumi (Georgia) is new to the cruise scene, along with Albania’s Sarande, which opened a new terminal and cruise berth at the beginning of this year, just after Romania’s Constanza opened its own new terminal. Similarly, while Lisbon waits on developing its Santa Apolonia port terminal complex, the smaller Portuguese port of Portimao opens a new cruise quay this year, while another little-visited Portuguese port, Leixoes, is building a new terminal and marina for 2011. A decision was imminent early in 2008 on the tenders submitted to redevelop Larnaca effectively into the major cruise port in Cyprus. Malaga’s port redevelopment has been an even longer drawn-out business than the Larnaca/ Limassol project, but two megaship berths should become operational later this year and, while Barcelona doubles the size of one terminal and Costa plans another by 2010, a new terminal has already been completed at Palamos. Three new berths and a new terminal will also open at Valencia next year, and there is a long-term plan for a mega-ship berth at Almeria, while work is underway on extending the cruise terminal and dredging around berths at Gibraltar. In the Adriatic, Koper opens a new €11m terminal this year and will then add a new pier, while Croatia’s Zadar is currently building a terminal and Dubrovnik has also expanded its facilities to handle three mega-ships

simultaneously, and plans a new terminal by 2010. And, while plans to separate cruise from other marine operations at Civitavecchia have been delayed through political wrangling, Venice will complete a fifth terminal this year, and is planning to combine a cruise terminal at Isonzo Quay with a 2,300-car parking garage connected to Venice by a new monorail. 

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Regional Report

Continental Europe and the North Atlantic By Tony Peisley

Le Havre, France

T

he growth of cruise tourism in Europe is affecting the northern ports of Continental Europe in different ways. Those in Germany are primarily benefiting from the increased capacity on Baltic itineraries, which is resulting in some growth in cruise calls, but is mainly generating a sharp rise in homeporting business. To a lesser extent, the same development is benefiting ports in The Netherlands, which are also seeing increased mini-cruise traffic from the UK (including Christmas and New Year itineraries). French ports are also being included in some mini-cruises while one (Cherbourg) is – like Hamburg in Germany – being boosted by an upsurge in demand for transatlantic crossings. It is also the increase in UK-US cruise capacity (targeting both the UK and North America as source

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markets), which is generating more calls for North Atlantic ports in Iceland, Greenland and, further south, in Spain and the Azores. In Germany, Kiel has become the busiest cruise port and, having opened its third terminal in 2007, it now plans to spend a further 11m upgrading its cruise infrastructure, to which it also expects to add a fourth terminal sometime in the future. Rostock-Warnemunde will open a newly extended berth for mega-ships this August with another €10m set aside for more improvements by 2012. A new mega-ship berth opens in Hamburg next year with a new terminal set for its Grasbrook port area in 2011. In The Netherlands, Vlissengen/ Zeeland has converted its outer harbour into a cruise dock and has homeporting ambitions, while Amsterdam has expanded its quay to cater for two megaships simultaneously.

Also with homeporting plans is the port at The Hague, where up to $700m is earmarked for a port and residential development. This project awaits local government approval but could be completed by 2012. In France, Cherbourg’s new terminal (operational at the beginning of last year) is mainly for transatlantic passengers but Le Havre’s 3m welcome centre opened later last year is targeted at the homeporting ships the port is hoping to attract. Reykjavik opened its new 450-metre pier last year, helping boost cruise traffic across all five Iceland ports to record numbers while, in Greenland, a new exclusive cruise port at Nuuk is under consideration. In Northern Spain, Vigo will have a longer cruise quay in operation by 2010 while, in the Azores, Ponta Delgada opens its new cruise terminal later this year. 

Regional Report

UK & Ireland T

he permanently underfunded Cruise UK (part of the Visit Britain tourist organisation) continues to promote cruising to UK ports, but most of the relatively modest growth in this incoming sector has emanated directly from the general expansion in cruise line fleets which has seen them become increasingly creative with their deployments. This is equally the case for the much more impressive growth in cruising out of UK ports, which continues to be driven by the battle for market share between Carnival UK brands (P&O Cruises, Cunard Line and Princess Cruises) and Royal Caribbean International (RCI) on the one hand and between the niche brands like Fred. Olsen Cruise Line and Saga on the other. Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) and MSC Cruises are also now introducing significant ex-UK capacity. This has prompted an overdue upsurge in the level of investment in cruise infrastructure at a range of ports around the UK although these continue to exclude London where there is no clear progress on the latest proposal for a new terminal by the O2 Arena (formerly Millennium Dome) in Greenwich. Up to earlier this decade, the port of Southampton was equally slow in recognising the importance of the cruise sector, but now it is planning a fourth terminal (as part of a 20-year deal with Carnival) in the Eastern Docks. Not only that, it has also just helped found the Southampton Cruise

Partnership, a network of This year, and extended landing stage organisations and companies last year, the next move for Falmouth Liverpool is expected to be with a mutual interest in hopes to developing cruise tourism to a second cruise berth as part receive the the port, city and surrounding of the redevelopment of a region. docklands site, which has space go-ahead The second busiest cruise for more berths if required. for a project port, Dover, has plans to For Newcastle, the Port to dredge lengthen one berth, enlarge of Tyne has upgraded, its harbour, the manoeuvring area around extended and strengthened it and also create more baggage increase the its Commission Quay while handling and parking spaces. Barrow has plans for a cruise length of its The Destination Southwest terminal. wharf and group, set up to promote The Channel Islands of build a cruise Jersey and Guernsey are also cruise tourism to that part terminal for of the English coast, reports looking at building dedicated about 110 annual calls to its summer 2009 cruise berths. ten member ports and this has In Scotland, Leith has prompted investment from upgraded its cruise terminal most of them. but has more ambitious plans for a new This year, Falmouth hopes to receive berth outside its lock gates. the go-ahead for a project to dredge The Welsh ports of Milford Haven, its harbour, increase the length of its Holyhead, Cardiff and Swansea also wharf and build a cruise terminal for have plans for new docks and terminals summer 2009. It will, though, have in various stages of development, while been monitoring the situation with Douglas (Isle of Man) adds a tender Travelscope very closely. This cruise/ landing stage this year and may build a coach operator was its main homeporting cruise ship berth. client until it went into administration A Tourism Ireland survey showed that at the end of 2007 but there were strong cruise tourism brought an economic hopes that a buyer would be found to benefit of €90m to the country in 2006. continue its operation. This was based on 175 ship calls and Among the other southwest ports, passengers spending an average £107 a Plymouth is building a new landing stage head per shore visit. Equally significant for 2009; Portsmouth is considering was the fact that about 60% were on separating its cruise and ferry operations their first visit and a similar number said within the harbour; Portland hopes to they wanted to return for a longer stay. have a new cruise berth ready for the Recent port enhancements have, 2012 Olympics; and Weymouth is to though, been limited to Cork’s develop a new waterfront. expansion and upgrade of its Cobh Having opened its new cruise terminal cruise terminal. 

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New Ship Review

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wo of the biggest UK media stories of December 10, 2007 highlighted comebacks by two major brands. One was the first live performance for 30 years by mega rock band Led Zeppelin; the other was the naming by the Duchess of Cornwall of Cunard Line’s 90,000-ton/2,000-passenger Queen Victoria. As Cunard president Carol Marlow pointed out: “There was a 35-year gap between QE2 and the next Cunard liner Queen Mary 2 but with Queen Victoria now, and then Queen Elizabeth in 2010, we will have introduced three new Cunard ships in just six years.” Former Cunard steward and, latterly, Britain’s deputy prime minister, John Prescott later echoed her view that the line’s new owner (Carnival Corporation) had revived a brand which had previously appeared to have gone into terminal decline since its transatlantic heyday. The first Cunard liner built in Italy (at Fincantieri’s Marghera yard, Queen Victoria is designed primarily for cruising rather than transatlantic service, but the aim was still to create a classic liner feel on board the ship. Although essentially the same hull as recent Holland America Line Vistaclass ships (one of which became P&O

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Cruises’s Arcadia), it was strengthened (including thicker steel at the bow) and given a slightly deeper draft to ensure it has more of a liner’s ocean-going capability. It was also lengthened, which allowed for more changes to be made to the interior, notably the inclusion of some of Queen Mary 2’s most popular features such as the impressive twin Grills and Golden Lion pub. But the areas which are most strikingly different from the P&O and HAL ships are the two-deck high Queens Room, three-tier Royal Court Theatre (complete with 16 private boxes), twin-level library (with 6,000 books) and nearby bookshop, the three deck-spanning Grand Lobby and the Royal Arcade shopping area with its eye-catching Big Ben look-alike clock. These each have the classic look and sophisticated feel of some of the great transatlantic liners of Cunard’s past – huge portraits of which adorn many walls and stairwells on the ship. Although the much-vaunted Cunardia “museum” is something of a disappointment, being more of a modest, mini-exhibition area, the Chart Room piano bar/lounge is awash with Cunard images and memorabilia, and is one of

several lounges which promise a liner rather than cruise-ship ambience. It also leads straight into the art deco Britannia Restaurant, which is modelled on the dining car of the famous LondonParis Golden Arrow train. Among the 864 outside cabins and suites, 718 have balconies and the six top suites (out of 127) are lavishly fitted and named after famous Cunard liners. The standard cabins, which include 143 inside, are more modest in size and facilities. Even a minimum grade balcony cabin has a fairly cramped bathroom. Although some of the ship – especially the Lido casual dining area, spa, internet centre, casino, nightclub and pool decks – has much more of the look of a contemporary cruise ship, Cunard appears to have achieved its aim of introducing a ship which stands apart from those operated by sister brand P&O Cruises. This is important, as Queen Victoria will be operating a similar cruise schedule. After a maiden cruise to the Baltic for the Christmas markets, she set off on a world cruise in January and will offer a mixture of cruises from Southampton to the fjords, Baltic, Atlantic Islands and Mediterranean during the summer. 

New Ship Review

QUEEN VICTORIA (CUNARD LINE) Contract signed: Keel laying: Float out: Naming Ceremony: Maiden Voyage: Tonnage: Length: Decks: Passenger capacity: Crew: Cost: Classification: Built by:

December 3, 2004 May 19, 2006 January, 2007 December 10, 2007 December 11, 2007 90,000 294m (964.5 feet) 16 (12 passenger) 2,014 (lower berth) 2,170 (maximum) 900 £300m Lloyds Register Fincantieri (Marghera)

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Susan Hooper discusses with Chris Ashcroft the development of new brands for RCCL in Europe

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Spring 2008 Dream World Cruise Destinations

he new joint venture between TUI AG and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd (RCCL) will be a Premium rather than a Contemporary product, according to RCCL Managing Director EMEA and Senior Vice President International Susan Hooper. She said: “We want to deliver a four star-plus experience to distinguish it from the current market leader AIDA Cruises.” This will also differentiate it from the company’s other European wholly-owned or joint venture cruise brands in Spain (Pullmantur), the UK (Island Cruises) and – also new – France (Croisieres de France – CDF), which are all in the three star-plus range. RCCL stepped into the TUI deal when Carnival pulled out, citing costly delays in the approval process. As Carnival already owns AIDA and another major player in the German market – Costa Cruises – the European Commission was always going to look closely at its proposed joint venture with TUI but RCCL is hopeful of a speedier process given its current minimal presence in the German market. Hooper said: “In fact, this venture effectively provides us with entry to Europe’s second largest cruise market. “AIDA is very clearly branded and positioned as a club ship, a fun ship – much like Carnival Cruise Lines in North America. So we are looking to introduce a much more upmarket product but one also 100% focused on Germans, many of whom would not want to cruise on an AIDA-type ship. “We are bringing in really good hardware, starting with a RCCL ship in 2009 and this will be followed by newbuilds. No orders will be made before we receive EC approval but we do not anticipate any problems with that and – once it comes – we will be able to move ahead very quickly.” She also said that distribution will be predominantly (but not exclusively) through TUI’s extensive travel agency network.

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Although Germany will be a groundbreaking exercise for RCCL, its new venture in France is ground-breaking for the whole industry. For decades, it has been the received wisdom that the only way of stimulating the perenially underperforming French cruise market is for a large-scale national brand to emerge and, although Croisieres de France (CDF) is not French-owned, it will be France-based and targeted solely at the French market. There have already been some Frenchoriented brands like Louis Cruise Lines’ Croisifrance and Compagnie Iles du Ponant (which has just ordered two new ships) but they do sell in other markets and do not have the resources and potential to expand at the kind of rate RCCL-backed CDF will if the product proves successful. Hooper said: “What is striking about the market is that absence of a national brand and yet everything we see from the French passengers who cruise with us suggests that cruising is as much a habit in France as it is elsewhere. “The real opportunity is to establish a local, French-only brand along the lines of AIDA in Germany and our own Pullmantur in Spain. Everyone who has seen what we have done has said it is the right thing to do. “CDF will be three to four star quality and, because of our Pullmantur purchase, we have been able to start with a smaller ship (the 750-passenger Holiday Dream/ Blu de France) rather than use a larger RCCL ship, which would have been a tough ask in that market. “We have not had a long lead time, with the first cruise due in May this year, but it is still too early to see a booking pattern.” Hooper said: “At the moment we are concentrating on getting the product right so that our first French passengers are really happy. Dining, entertainment and shore excursions will all be geared towards that.” 

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