By
Michele Witthaus |
In the annual State of the Industry panel discussion at Cruise Shipping Miami on Tuesday 13 March, Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) president Christine Duffy identified renewed safety commitments and globalisation as being among the key trends for the industry in the year ahead.
Duffy said that the introduction of enhanced passenger safety measures by cruise lines following the Costa Concordia incident in January had proved very successful. "The new muster policy introduced by CLIA, which exceeded regulatory requirements, was quickly adopted by all our members and implemented immediately," said Duffy.
Carnival Corporation vice chairman and COO and chairman of CLIA, Howard Frank, said: "The Costa Concordia tragedy has affected our company and the entire industry very deeply." Frank affirmed his support for the Costa line, saying: "I could not be more proud of the Costa team, who have worked 24 hours a day and done a superb job." He concluded: "We have faced similar setbacks in the past and in each case have shown tremendous resilience. I believe we have every reason to look to the future of cruising as a vibrant industry."
Duffy predicted that growth, globalisation and innovation would be the major trends in the industry going forward. Referring to the 14 vessels scheduled for delivery in 2012 with a total of 18,000 additional beds, she added: "Ships continue to raise the bar in terms of innovations onboard."