Op-Ed: ‘The cruise world is aiming to become one of the most sustainable tourism forms’ – Marie-Caroline Laurent, CLIA Europe
Marie-Caroline Laurent
Director General for Europe, Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA)
A travel experience that is memorable, sustainable, and accessible to everyone. This is my vision for the future of travel. It is also a vision that is already a reality in the world of cruise.
It is well known that cruise holidays offer varied itineraries to amazing destinations and all kinds of exciting onboard entertainment. Less well known is the accessibility of a cruise. Cruise holidays offer a great experience for people of all ages; more than a quarter of the people who sailed last year travelled in a party of three or more generations. Cruises also provide an accessible holiday for guests with limited mobility; last year, 82% of cruise travellers with limited mobility, or with a member of their party, said that cruise is their only holiday option.
Another less well-known fact is our industry’s pursuit of net zero carbon cruising by 2050 as we drive efforts to become one of the most sustainable forms of tourism.
Cruise lines are investing significantly to achieve this aspiration. Ships are being equipped to connect to shoreside electricity, reducing emissions almost entirely while in port. Cruise lines are investing in the development of new sustainable marine fuels, and today’s fleet is the most efficient in history, with each new class of ship on average 20% more efficient than its predecessor.
With ocean and marine life protection a priority, we have a lot of experience deploying circular economy principles while at sea. Cruise lines use sophisticated processes to remove, reuse, recycle and convert waste to energy. Cruise ships also produce up to 90% of fresh water onboard, and conserve and repurpose water onboard through state-of-the-art systems and practices. Cruise lines avoid or reduce speed in areas where large cetaceans are observed, and deploy specially designed hulls, propellers, and noise suppression devices.
The essence of sustainable travel is respecting the places we visit and the people we meet. Our industry engages in constructive, concrete dialogue to solve issues that may arise at popular destinations. An example of practical dialogue can be seen at the Acropolis in Athens, where tour operators and cruise lines are working together to coordinate schedules to avoid parking congestion at this world-famous site.
Cruise tourism is managed tourism. Ship arrival and departure schedules are established with ports in advance, providing destinations with information about tourism flows so they can be planned effectively.
Many cruise lines offer eco-friendly shore excursions and pursue sustainable tour excursion certification with conservation organizations based on the Global Sustainable Tourism Council’s Industry Standard (GSTC) criteria. CLIA is partnering with GSTC and cruise destinations, for example Corfu and Heraklion, on sustainability assessments, as part of our commitment to responsible travel.
With its vibrant and diverse cultures, the Mediterranean is one of the world’s favorite places to visit, and this wonderful region offers many more places to discover. Cruise tourism is an opportunity for remote island and coastline areas, bringing social and economic benefits; in 2021 the cruise sector generated 41 billion euros economic impact in Europe.
Greece is an important cruise hub with potential for further growth. At the 2023 Posidonia Sea Tourism Forum, CLIA’s Chairman Pierfrancesco Vago revealed an action plan for the country’s sustainable growth as a hub, outlining actions to work together to: promote new destinations, create the right port infrastructure and operating environment, develop sustainable tourism practices, introduce onshore solutions to match environmental technologies onboard and support development of new fuels, and build the skills of the next generation of seafarers.
Cruise travel is one of the most dynamic sectors of tourism and rebounding faster than international tourism. With anticipated passenger volumes of 27 to 33 million globally in 2023, buoyed consumer sentiment with intent to cruise higher than before the pandemic, and our focus on sustainable travels, we can be truly optimistic for the future.