Cruise body CLIA is helping prepare the trade for a return to cruising with a series of ‘summer schools’ following the lifting of the UK ban on international cruises.
Starting later this month, the three hour-long webinars will provide product updates and training briefs from several cruise lines and destinations.
They will also include international travel news.
The summer schools will take place from 9.30 to 10.30 and are as follows:
- August 12, MSC Cruises and Celebrity Cruises
- August 19, Oceania Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, APT and Port of Seattle
- August 26, Amadeus River Cruises, Fred Olsen and Carnival Cruise Line
In addition, CLIA has two agent-dedicated ‘selling cruise days’, which will give the trade insight and advice from a wide range of speakers and panels.
These will now cover both domestic and international sailings, with the first seminar taking place in Southampton on 4 November and the second in Dublin on 11 November.
Ben Bouldin, CLIA Chair for UK & Ireland, said: “The international travel announcement is fantastic news for everyone within the cruise community, and it is a thrilling prospect to once again be able to offer guests the opportunity to sail the world.
“The last 18 months have been hugely challenging for the UK cruise sector. The industry came together and a lot of people have worked incredibly hard to reach this point. We also appreciate the cooperation shown by UK Government departments throughout this process.
“The cruise industry has shown its resilience and has risen to the challenge by reinventing the cruise experience while preserving what makes a cruise holiday so special.”
The resumption of international cruise follows the successful restart of domestic cruises earlier this year. Cruise lines have been sailing round Britain since May, while around 800,000 guests have travelled on sailings globally during the past 12 months.
