Cruise360 puts the policy case to Sydney
Cruise360 Australasia ran at the International Convention Centre Sydney on 17 and 18 September. CLIA states the edition was its first expanded two-day conference in Sydney, and hundreds of members gathered from across the region.
Joel Katz, CLIA's executive director in Australasia, opened the conference with a call to restore Australia's competitiveness as a cruise destination. The wrap ties the fall in ship deployments to the cost of doing business in local waters and to regulation. Katz told delegates that stable, practical and competitive policy settings keep cruise ships in Australian waters.
CLIA's own release puts global cruise passenger numbers on track for a record of about 38 million this year, and names the Hong Kong Tourism Board as headline partner for the conference.
Membership and the advisor programme
CLIA chairman Peter Little told the conference that regional membership stands above 7,000 travel advisors across Australia and New Zealand, a record for the association. He states the weight of members in the region gives CLIA more force on advocacy.
Little also pointed to training completion rates, the highest number of nominations in the CLIA Awards and the CLIA Masters Programme. A special edition of Cruise Weekly follows the conference.
VisitBritain counts a soft year
VisitBritain chief executive Patricia Yates spent the week in Sydney and Melbourne meeting trade stakeholders. She told Travel Daily that British visitation and spend targets for 2026 will fall short. The Middle East conflict hit long-haul markets.
Yates said she expects a recovery as Australian travellers, who book earlier than other markets, move past the volatility of earlier this year. She said she hopes Qantas Project Sunrise, planned to launch late next year, brings the Australian market closer.
Britain is also pushing its northern regions, with Manchester and Liverpool courting the same visitors. Travel Daily notes that the UK prime minister, Andy Burnham, carries the 'king of the north' nickname.
Flight Centre promotes into luxury
Flight Centre Travel Group moved Rachel Kingswell to the newly created position of global head of product, luxury brands. Kingswell ran the group's Travel Associates brand and a search is under way for her replacement.
The group stated this week an intention to double the value of its luxury travel business in six years. Kingswell shapes product strategy across the luxury portfolio, including Travel Associates and the Luxury Travel Collection.
Journey Beyond staffs its resorts division
Jo Boundy joined Journey Beyond as managing director, resorts and lodges. She was chief marketing officer at Qantas and held the same post at Commonwealth Bank. The division holds Ayers Rock Resort, Monarto Safari Resort and Sal Salis.
The hire follows the August appointment of Jennifer Vandekreeke, the former Carnival Australia chief, as managing director, experiences and attractions. A restructure in May moved Matt Cameron-Smith from chief executive of Voyages Tourism Australia to group chief commercial officer and promoted David Donald to managing director, rail and touring. In July the group named Roland Ah Chee as its first general manager, first nations engagement and partnerships.
Consolidated Travel names a commercial chief
David Galt took the newly created role of chief commercial officer at Consolidated Travel. He starts in early October, after close to 20 years at Webjet.
Consolidated Travel managing director Dennis Alysandratos said Galt's record in delivering profitable growth is an asset, and predicted he would build relationships with airline partners, customers and industry stakeholders.
Swan Hellenic and NCL on the local market
Swan Hellenic opened its first Southern Hemisphere office in Sydney's Rose Bay. The line reported triple-digit growth in the Australia and New Zealand market, and Cruise Weekly reports a loyalty programme for rollout in 2027.
Cruise Weekly also spoke to Ben Angell, Norwegian Cruise Line's managing director and vice president for Asia-Pacific, after a series of redundancies at the brand. Angell stated that NCL remains committed to Australian cruisers and pointed to its local team.