By Joel Katz, Managing Director, CLIA Australasia
The cruise industry is taking a leading role when it comes to progressing a sustainable, responsible, and resilient tourism sector.
This month in India, CLIA joined G20 governments and the World Travel & Tourism Council for a series of events and round-table discussions focused on the future of tourism, giving us an opportunity to outline our priorities for well-managed cruise visitation.
Because it is planned and scheduled well in advance, cruising offers huge opportunities for communities to maximise the economic benefits of tourism while also managing visitation and dispersal in ways that suit their way of life.
Collaborative, sustainable tourism initiatives led by the cruise industry, destinations, ports, community organisations, and stakeholders, can help to achieve mutual objectives to preserve the integrity, cultural heritage, and beauty of destinations for future generations.
This is where CLIA and the cruise sector want to be at the forefront when it comes to responsible tourism and supporting the communities our ships visit.
Alongside CLIA’s Maritime Policies covering operations at sea, we are also focused on the shared values we have for activities on shore – aligned with the United Nations World Tourism Organization’s definition of sustainable tourism.
This includes respecting the environment in the communities that ships visit, respecting the quality of life and the heritage of communities, contributing to the economic wellbeing of host communities, and supporting rewarding employment opportunities for a diverse community of workers.
These principles on shore are as much a part of our future as initiatives at sea, where cruise lines are investing heavily to reduce emissions and protect the oceans we sail on as we head towards zero-carbon cruising by 2050.
As an industry, the cruise sector is focused on a clear vision for the future – one that is prosperous, productive, sustainable and able to deliver positive results as it connects communities around the world.
