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Gib at Seatrade
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The port of Gibraltar will be participating in the 22nd edition of the Seatrade Cruise Shipping Convention, the international exhibition and conference recognised as the leading cruise industry event, and which brings together cruise line owners, operators, cruise ports and suppliers.
The event, which opens on Monday at the Miami Beach Convention Centre, Florida, consists of four days of conference and three days of trade show.
The first day will see the now traditional ?State of the Industry? debate, with some of the industry?s leading figures including the Presidents of Carnival Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean International, Holland America Line, Celebrity Cruises, MSC Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line. Issues to be discussed at the conference include the need for upgrading access to ports and terminal facilities, which will require massive investment and new thinking in order to handle the forecast large increase in the numbers of passengers and size of cruise ships. Other matters on the agenda are the issue of fuel economy, which is a major cost issue for cruise lines, and the supply of good quality bunker fuel. The complex calculations that lie behind cruise ship deployment decisions also feature, with discussion on what will shape the geography of the cruise industry in five years? time.
Gibraltar will have its own stand in the cruise destinations pavilion of the trade show, and will also be represented as a member of the MedCruise organisation.
MedCruise Senior Vice President Albert Poggio and the Gibraltar Port Authority?s Chief Executive, Tony Davis, will be attending the convention. GTB Chief Executive Peter Canessa will head the team manning the Gibraltar stand. An estimated 10,000 visitors and delegates will attend the Miami event.
?As a result of the steady increase in growth that the cruise industry is enjoying, it is important that Gibraltar, which is one of the principal Mediterranean cruise ports, should participate in this event,? said Joe Holliday, Minister with responsibility for the Port and Tourism. ?I would like to highlight that 188,000 passengers arrived at Gibraltar on 171 cruise calls last year, and there are 205 cruise calls booked for this year which will bring an estimated 220,000 cruise passengers to Gibraltar. It is important that this growth should be consolidated. The Government considers that Seatrade is an important forum to show the industry the opportunities that Gibraltar offers for further growth in this important market. In addition, Seatrade will offer important opportunities for networking with key industry players and for promotion of the port of Gibraltar.?
Following Seatrade, Albert Poggio and Peter Canessa will attend the media announcement event of Disney Cruise Line?s special 2007 Mediterranean itinerary, to be held in Orlando, as guests of Disney Cruise Lines.
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