53 to reduce overcrowding include planning calls during off-peak seasons, staggering ship arrival and departure times, arranging tours to popular attractions at quieter times and creating new shore excursions that take guests to lesserknown tourist sites or places far beyond the port. Not only does this give guests a unique experience, but it extends the economic benefits of a ship call to more people in the community. It can also be beneficial for cruise lines to invite locals onboard their ships to showcase the solutions they’re using to protect the environment, or explain how ship calls generate a positive socioeconomic impact through port fees, crew and passenger spending, and job creation. We’ve seen many locals change their opinion on cruising after a ship visit. Similarly, we’ve seen guests being more accepted when cruise lines have educated them about local customs and appropriate dress or behaviour. Can you share any examples of successful cruise line-port-city partnerships that are already improving destination stewardship and local sentiment towards cruising? Two examples stand out. One is Madeira, where most of the population lives in the relatively small city of Funchal. That concentration could place pressure on visitor flows, but strong coordination among regional and port leaders, cruise lines, businesses and the local community has enabled Madeira to manage tourism successfully. Dubrovnik in Croatia is another good example. We’ve spent several years working with Mayor Mato Franković to trial and implement solutions that manage congestion and visitor flows in the Old City. One is a tool to track visitor hotspots, so the destination and cruise lines can make better tourism management decisions. We’re looking to create more visitor experiences in areas near Dubrovnik too How will CLIA’s new Cruise Ready programme help ports and destinations to grow tourism responsibly? Our aim is to help ports and destinations who want to enter the cruise market, or grow their existing business, discover the best ways to invest their resources to maximise their chance of success. We’ve created written materials with insights and data from various experts and we’ll be hosting masterclasses – the first will be in Miami, Florida, later this year and we plan to expand them worldwide. We hope to make some good connections between the cruise lines and emerging destinations for their mutual benefit along the way. What priorities will CLIA and its members focus on to drive the responsible growth of the cruise sector over the next few years? The industry is very healthy and performing well above pre-pandemic levels. In 2025, we carried 37.3 million guests, generated $198.8 billion in economic output and supported 1.8 million jobs worldwide. CLIA’s priority is to help our members maintain a trajectory of meaningful but sustainable growth by working in cooperation with the ports and communities we visit to ensure we’re good corporate citizens and everyone benefits from the cruise industry. We’ll also continue investing in decarbonisation, help ports accelerate shore power deployment, work with energy providers to advance lower‑emissions fuels, and drive regulatory progress. “ CLIA’s priority is to help our members maintain a trajectory of meaningful but sustainable growth” CLIA has worked with the mayor of Dubrovnik to develop various solutions for reducing congestion at key attractions like the Old Town Photo: iStockphoto/Petra Matjasic INTERVIEW
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