Marie-Caroline Laurent leaving CLIA Europe for MSC Group

In a circular to members CLIA said of Laurent: 'Whilst we will miss her fortitude and dynamism, we could not be more delighted for her opportunity.'

Julie Green promoted to deputy director general

CLIA is now searching for a new European director general and Julie Green, previously VP strategic communications, has been promoted to deputy director general.

Laurent will present the opening keynote at Seatrade Cruise Med in Málaga before departing for pastures new.

Laurent is a transport policy expert who before joining CLIA in 2021 held leadership roles at the International Air Transport Association for nearly a decade, including serving as assistant director for EU affairs. 

Previously she worked in policy development for the Association of European Airlines and also served as a parliamentary adviser at the European Parliament and as senior policy officer at the American Chamber of Commerce to the EU.

During her three years at CLIA Laurent has been vocal about encouraging all cruise stakeholders to help overcome the bias faced by the industry in some places. 

'Amplify your voices'

At Seatrade Cruise Med in 2022 she rallied ports, destinations, suppliers and service providers to ‘amplify your voices.'

The CLIA Europe DG added, ‘You have to get out of your comfort zone and talk to politicians and to the local population and make them understand cruising is an integral part of their society and their economies.’

Later Laurent gave Seatrade Cruise News her top tips on engagement, saying it's important to identify key stakeholders in city councils, regional authorities and those in charge of tourism development and transport policies. 

'As cruise activities are often not accounted for in tourism policies developed at the local level, we need to ensure there is a better integration between cruise activities and the overall sustainable tourism planning of the regions and cities where we operate,' she said.

She urged the wider community to tell their stories of how cruise activities help to sustain their businesses in sometimes remote coastal areas or communities with economic challenges.   

Listen to local concerns

Laurent advised: 'No two destinations are the same and it is this uniqueness which enriches the cruise experience. This also means that local challenges can vary greatly depending on the geographical and urban planning configurations, as well as the infrastructure. We need to listen to these concerns and have a structured dialogue with communities to look at practical solutions tailored to their specific needs.'