National

Cruise industry’s biggest conference returns to Vancouver

Darpan News Desk, 01 Jun, 2016 10:58 AM

Starting today, Vancouver will welcome more than 1,350 travel agents and cruise line representatives from around the world for sold-out trade conference Cruise360, taking place at the Vancouver Convention Centre from June 1 to 6.

Hosted by Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), the conference is typically held in Fort Lauderdale, though this year marks the third time Vancouver has hosted. Each time, the Pacific Rim Cruise Association (PRCA) – a consortium comprised of Tourism Vancouver, Destination BC, the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority and Vancouver Airport Authority – works closely with conference organizers to bring the internationally recognized event to the city. This year, attending agents will travel here from the U.S., Canada, Australia, Germany, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, the Netherlands and Taiwan.

Vancouver’s reputation as a world-class cruise destination is driven by a stunning and centrally located harbour setting as well as award-winning Vancouver International Airport and exceptional cruise terminal facilities – all of which consistently earn high passenger satisfaction scores. In 2015, the PRCA conducted a survey of more than 2,100 passengers on their destination and cruise experience. Key findings include:

• Overall satisfaction of Vancouver as a travel destination is “extremely high”

• More than 70 percent of passengers stay an average of 2.5 nights in the city pre- or post-cruise

• Top destination activities among cruise passengers (in order of priority) are sightseeing, dining, exploring parks and other natural areas, shopping and visiting attractions

• The majority of cruise visitors are from the U.S. (62 percent)

• International cruise visitation in 2015 was 23 percent (up from 12 percent in 2006)

Vancouver is Canada’s largest cruise port, and a leading home port for Alaska cruises offering one-way and round-trip itineraries through Canada’s Inside Passage. This season, Vancouver expects 228 cruise ship calls carrying 830,000 passengers. Each call generates roughly $2 million in economic activity.

For more information on Cruise360, visit www.Cruise360.com.

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