Seatrade Winter Cruising Forum, taking place 21-22 January 2015 in Cartagena, Spain. Cruising alone is an ever-popular holiday choice; according to CLIA (Cruise Lines International Association), over 21 million passengers across the globe boarded a cruise ship in 2013. With winter cruising itself contributing significantly towards this figure, the forum will have a strong focus on the increasingly in-demand destination of the Mediterranean and its adjoining seas.
As well as discussing additional deployment of cruise ships throughout the year in the Mediterranean region, discussions at the El Batel Auditorium will also be held with regards to developing winter cruising in other destinations such as Northern Europe (including Norway), the Far East and the Middle East, and increasing year round deployment of cruise ships.
Further to this, the panel of Cruise Line executives and key industry experts will deliberate how ports and destinations should be preparing to deal with challenges of various factors affecting winter calls. Additional discussions will follow on the second day, covering the evolving product development for shorex and itinerary choices, not only for the Mediterranean region, but also further afield. Following tailored conference sessions, the forum will conclude with a dedicated workshop, which will give destinations an opportunity to present their product and services to the cruise lines in one-on-one pre-scheduled meetings.