Myrmell steps down as CLIA Chair

Sture Myrmell is President of Carnival Australia and P&O

Cruises Australia.

He has penned this exclusive column for Cruise Weekly today as he finishes his two year term as Chairman of CLIA Australasia.

AS I reach the end of my term as CLIA Australasia Chairman, CLIA’s role in supporting the cruise industry and advocating on behalf of our wider community has never been more important, and this focus will be critical in the months and years ahead.

No matter how we face the future and the challenges it presents, it has been a privilege to chair CLIA Australasia through these past two significant years.

We have only recently capped off an important decade for cruising, marked by sustained growth, enormous product innovation, major advances in environmental technology and enduring passion among guests.

Perhaps this period’s most significant measure is contained in CLIA’s annual Australian Economic Impact Report for 2018-19, which showed a record total economic contribution of $5.2 billion nationally; passenger spending alone totalled $1.4 billion, while cruise line spending – on everything from port fees and administration through to local food and beverage suppliers – reached $1.1 billion.

More than 18,000 jobs are supported by the local cruise industry, disproving any claim that our industry doesn’t contribute or have an integral place within the Australian community.

These facts will provide vital proof of our industry’s importance as we stand up for our interests in the future.

While cruise operations are suspended, we are using this time to define the new landscape we will work within and make sure we are ready when the time comes to sail again.

Together with CLIA, cruise lines are creating a new health framework to uphold the safety of guests and prepare for future operations in the wake of COVID-19.

The challenges before us are considerable, but our goal is to ensure we learn as much as possible from these unprecedented events, exceed community expectations, and ensure transparency in our response.

It has been a pleasure to serve as Chairman of CLIA Australasia and I look forward to a continuing role on CLIA’s Executive Committee as we restore confidence in an industry we’ve all worked so hard to develop.