CLIA UK and Ireland launches
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After over 50 years of existence, the Passenger Shipping Association (PSA) has disbanded, with the ferry and cruise industries going their separate ways – both will now be represented by different bodies.
As of 1 May all cruise lines which were previously members of the PSA and the Association of Cruise Experts (ACE) will now come under the newly formed CLIA UK and Ireland. Ferries will be represented by the Chamber of Shipping.
The new association, Cruise Lines International Association UK and Ireland (CLIA UK and Ireland), is one of 11 regional CLIA bodies, making the cruise industry a truly global organisation. On a worldwide basis, CLIA will be headed by Christine Duffy who will be given the title global president and CEO.
In the UK the association will be led by Andy Harmer, formerly the head of ACE, who said: “
“The global cruise industry has seen accelerated growth over recent years. In Europe alone the cruise market doubled to a record 6.2 million passengers in the past eight years. The industry’s issues, regulators and stakeholders have also evolved and increasingly span international borders, so it’s more important than ever to implement an appropriate global structure.
“The new CLIA structure and our association in the UK and Ireland will support a ‘One Industry, One Voice’ approach to policy development, advocacy and industry-wide promotional activity,” Harmer said. “We are confident that cruise lines, the travel industry and new and existing cruise passengers will all feel the benefits of this new arrangement.”