Gammon added ‘the industry has a massive order book with 34 vessels coming in the future.’
Managing growth to maintain authenticity
The discussion focused on key issues of managing over tourism and the need for industry collaboration between cruise lines and the ports to promote organic industry growth.
A key concern was the need for careful industry management to ensure the integrity of the visitor experience and to maintain the ecological and cultural environment of the destinations so that they are not impacted in a negative way.
‘We don’t want over tourism, so close management is required. Coordination is critical to ensure against this. From a shore excursions point of view you have to be creative and build a programme for guests to enjoy,’ said Hans Lagerweij, president, Albatros International.
Involve the local community
Eva-Britt Korfeldt, director cruise, Visit Svalbard & Visit Oslo spoke about building relationships with the indigenous population and briefing them on the do’s and don’ts of receiving cruise tourism through community workshops. ‘It’s important to involve the local community to ensure they are better prepared for cruise passenger arrival.’
Tim Littley, Senior Director, deployment & itinerary planning Seabourn Cruise Line added, ‘expedition cruising is not just about cold climates, like Arctic and Antarctica, anywhere in the world can be an expedition destination.’
Gammon closed the talk with high hopes for the future of expedition travel and the potential scope for other regions in Europe to get involved, saying ‘I look forward to hearing more about what places like Scotland and other regions that come before the extreme north of Europe have to offer and are willing to receive the arrival of the expedition cruise market to their community.'
Seatrade launched its Seatrade Cruise Expedition brand to bring more expedition-led content at Seatrade Cruise Global and Seatrade Cruise med in 2020.
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