Held on Tuesday 23rd Sept in London, a joint cruise seminar of ANTOR/PSA was attended by over 100 delegates made up of representatives from cruise companies, tourist boards, airlines, tour operators, travel agents and PSA members and included many overseas travel partners from as far as the Falklands.

The topic of one of the leading Cruise Companies was "Threat or Opportunity". The Cruise experts explained that the destination was the main factor for tourist choosing a cruise holiday and that good ground arrangements are the driving force of a cruising holiday. They further added that this is clearly an opportunity for destinations to work closely with Cruise Companies. Other issues such as benefits of destination training and responsible tourism as they relate to the cruise industry were also examined, along with many more topical issues.

This is the first time ANTOR and the PSA have worked together on an exclusive cruise event. Some of the speakers included Bill Gibbons, Director of the Passenger Shipping Association; Albert Poggio OBE, Senior Vice President, MedCruise; Lynn Narraway, Managing Director, UK Business, Carnival Cruise Lines; Jo Rzymowska, Associate VP and GM, UK and Ireland, Royal Caribbean International and Nigel Lingard, Marketing Director, Fred Olsen.

Bill Gibbons, gave an overview on the trends and growth of Cruise and River Cruising and how the cruising bodies such as the PSA, ACE and Tourist Boards can work together with trade partners to enhance ports, cruise itineraries and to assist destination directors in the UK.

"We were delighted with the attendance to this our first Cruise Seminar in collaboration with the PSA. We hope this event was the benchmark for subsequent seminars in highlighting growth areas of tourism� said ANTOR Chairman, Tracey Poggio. Delegates got the chance to see the benefits of building industry relationships, which is the key to getting the most from cruise tourism.

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For pictures and further information on ANTOR contact:

Esther Smith ANTOR Executive Secretary 39 Pennington Close Colden Common Winchester, Hampshire SO21 1UR T 0870 241 9084 - F 01962 711239 - M 07768901197 esther@antor.com - www.antor.com