Several cruise lines to attend 2024 Cruise Atlantic Islands conference

Appearing at the September 27 conference in Funchal will be: Rafael Fernández-Álava, director of communication and external relations, Costa Crociere; Kai Algar, director planning and port operations, Fred. Olsen Cruises Lines; Fiona Noone, director of planning and port operations, Marella Cruises; Eduardo Cabrita, general director, MSC Cruises in Portugal; Hugo Basto, director, Mystic Cruises; Sylviane de Tracy, director of development and research, Ponant.  

‘The quality of the speakers at this conference shows the interest with which the industry looks at the potential of our market,’ stated Paula Cabaço, CEO, Ports of Madeira (APRAM). ‘CAI is a consolidated product in the industry, but continues to offer a large margin for growth.’ 

Cabaço went on to say, ‘We are very excited to have Nikos Mertzadinis in Madeira. He is a very respected voice in the industry, and will bring to this conference a comprehensive and in-depth view of a sector that he knows like few others.’ 

Promoted by APRAM, the conference will be attended by CAI members, government officials, national and international journalists, as well as various local stakeholders, and pay tribute to the first meeting of the CAI almost 30 years ago. 

Cruise Atlantic Islands 

CAI sees the ports of Madeira, the Canary Islands, Azores and Cape Verde collaborate on a common commercial and communication strategy. It currently represents a market of 3.3m cruise tourists, and took its first steps as a consortium on September 19, 1984 at a meeting in Funchal that brought together port officials from Madeira and the Canary Islands.

Activities connected with the conference – taking place at Funchal City Hall, which is a partner of APRAM – will run from September 26-28. These include a welcome reception, a familiarisation trip to Madeira’s north coast and tree planting activities in Funchal Ecological Park.

Tribute to 1984 gathering 

The objective of the conference, Cabaço explained, is to project the future of the cruise market in the Macaronesian islands of the Atlantic, discussing the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

A conversation with the participants of the 1984 meeting will include: Juan Francisco Martin, ex-commercial director of the Ports of the Canary Islands; João Reis, ex-president of APRAM, Michael Blandy, ex-CEO of the Blandy Group; Eduardo Alvarez Hamilton, ex-CEO of Hamilton & Co., in the Canary Islands; Franklim Spencer, ex-president of the Ports of Cape Verde; Pedro Roque, ex-president of the Port Authority of Tenerife.

‘It will be an opportunity to pay homage to all these people of great value and vision, to whom the cruise market in the Macaronesia region owes a lot,’ Cabaço remarked. ‘They realised that only by working together could we establish ourselves in a global and competitive industry such as cruise.’