kabarsula Cruise360 Australasia kicks off with record turnout and calls for stronger policy backing bandar SLOT INDONESIA

Australasia’s biggest cruise industry event opened in Sydney today, with almost 1000 members of Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) gathering from across the region for the 2026 Cruise360 Australasia conference.

As CLIA’s first expanded two-day conference held at ICC Sydney, this year’s event has been designed to help travel advisors capitalise on the trends and opportunities of a growing international cruise sector, under the theme “Future Ready. Client Ready. Cruise Ready.”

CLIA Australasia’s Joel Katz opened proceedings, telling delegates the event would help members “hit the ground running on Monday”. He pointed to record global growth as the backdrop for the conference, noting cruise passenger numbers hit a new record of 37.2 million last year, with around 38 million expected this year and 42 million forecast by the end of the decade.

“That’s a strong trajectory of consistent, sustainable growth,” Katz said, adding that cruise lines were backing that demand with an unprecedented order book – 89 new ships scheduled for launch between now and 2039, worth a combined US$100 billion (AU$140 billion).

However, Katz used his address to sound a warning about Australia and New Zealand’s declining share of global deployment. “Despite continuing strong demand, Australia and New Zealand have lost cruise ships to other parts of the world,” he said, adding the losses were flowing through to “local businesses, local communities, and you, our travel advisor community”.

He said the industry’s warnings about “a complex and uncertain regulatory environment and rising costs have been proven right”, and that while New Zealand’s government was engaging with the sector’s concerns, Australia still lacked a joined-up national response.

“The states and territories are showing great support, but we still need a national approach,” Katz said.

He pointed to the Australian Paddock to Port Alliance, launched last month, as one avenue for building pressure on policymakers. The alliance brings together farmers, food suppliers, tourism operators, travel agents, ports and destinations “to send a message that the cruise community extends well beyond the port and is a vital economic contributor to our country,” he said.

“We need stable, predictable, and competitive policy settings so that Australia can continue to attract the world’s best cruise ships.”

Record crowd

CLIA Australasia chairman and Carnival Group senior vice president and country manager Peter Little then took to the stage, welcoming what he described as a record crowd of around 900 delegates to the first combined two-day Cruise360 Australasia.

“It’s going from strength to strength,” Little said, crediting the expanded format to demand and enthusiasm “and importantly, dedication” from the travel advisor community.

Little said CLIA now represents 7,000 accredited travel advisors across the region – also a record – alongside record attendance at CLIA Live, record nominations for the CLIA Awards and a fully subscribed CLIA Masters training program.

“You as travel advisors are absolutely the most important part of our industry’s distribution chain,” he told the room. “I can’t say that strongly enough.”

He said CLIA’s job was to ensure that advisor voice was heard by government “not only in Canberra, but in Wellington and across the region”, pointing to early progress in talks with the New Zealand government on cruise growth.

Looking ahead, Little said the advisor of tomorrow would need to be “artificial intelligence aware, to be client focused and, importantly, commercially confident” while never losing the human touch.

“That human interaction is so important,” he said. “Being able to speak at a human level with your clients means better outcomes for the clients and better outcomes for yourself.”

The opening session also featured a keynote from Hong Kong Tourism Board director for Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific Karen McMillan, representing the event’s headline partner.

HK port pitch

McMillan said Australian and New Zealand travellers had “well and truly fallen back in love with Hong Kong”, reporting visitation from Australia grew 21 per cent between January and August this year, on top of 27 per cent growth over the prior 12 months, while New Zealand visitation was up 15 per cent over the same period – growth she linked to strength in the luxury, family and solo travel segments.

She said Hong Kong was entering its peak cruise season with 195 calls scheduled from more than 30 cruise lines over the next six months, supported by its two terminals – the purpose-built Kai Tak Cruise Terminal – a former airport – capable of “welcoming some of the world’s largest ships”, and the centrally located Ocean Terminal in Tsim Sha Tsui, which she said offers iconic Victoria Harbour views alongside easy access to shopping and dining.

McMillan also flagged Kai Tak’s new airport baggage check-in and delivery service, along with visa-free access for visitors from more than 170 countries, as key advantages for fly-cruise itineraries via Hong Kong.

The World View panel that followed brought together international cruise line leaders including Quark Expeditions president Sam Seward, Windstar Cruises managing director – Global Commercial Helen Beck, Azamara Cruises chief international sales officer David Siewers, Swan Hellenic Cruises chief commercial officer Mario Bounas and Norwegian Cruise Line chief sales and marketing officer international Jason Krimmel, who unpacked global demand trends and what they mean for Australian advisors.

Cruise360 Australasia continues today at ICC Sydney.