The vice-president of the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) in Europe, Nikos Mertzadinis, will be the co-host of the Cruise Atlantic Islands Conference 2024, which will be held over three days, between the 26th and 28th of September, in Funchal, the capital of Madeira.
“We are very excited to have Nikos Mertzadinis in Madeira. He is a very respected voice in the industry, and will bring to this Conference a comprehensive and in-depth view of a sector that he knows like few others”, highlights the CEO of Ports of Madeira (APRAM, SA), Paula Cabaço, saying that the objective of the conference is to project the future of the cruise market in the Macaronesian islands of the Atlantic, discussing the challenges and opportunities that lies ahead.
Cruise Atlantic Islands (CAI) brings together the ports of Madeira, Canary Islands, Azores and Cape Verde, in a common commercial and communication strategy. It currently represents a market of 3.3 million cruise tourists, and took its first steps as a collective brand on September 19, 1984, at a meeting in Funchal that brought together port officials from Madeira and the Canary Islands.
This Conference, promoted by APRAM, will mark this date, through a tribute and a conversation with the participants of this founding meeting: Juan Francisco Martin (former Commercial Director of the Ports of the Canary Islands), João Reis (former president of APRAM), Michael Blandy (former CEO of the Blandy Group), Eduardo Alvarez Hamilton (former CEO of Hamilton & CO, in the Canary Islands), Franklim Spencer (former president of the Ports of Cape Verde) and Pedro Roque (former president of the Port Authority from Tenerife).
“It will be an opportunity to pay homage to all these people, of great value and vision, to whom the cruise market in the Macaronesia region owes a lot. They realized that only by working together could we establish ourselves in a global and competitive industry, such as cruises”, says Paula Cabaço.
The Conference, which will take place in Funchal City Hall, a partner of APRAM, will feature a wide and diverse range of sector experts, like Eduardo Cabrita, general director of MSC Portugal, Fiona Noone, director of Planning and Port Operations at Marella Cruises / TUI, Kai Algar, director Planning and Port Operations at Fred. Olsen Cruises Lines, Sylviane de Tracy, director of Development and Research at Ponant, Hugo Basto, director of Mystic Cruises, and Rafael Fernández-Álava, director of Communication and External Relations at Costa Cruzeiros.
“The quality of the speakers at this conference shows the interest with which the industry looks at the potential of our market. CAI is a consolidated product in the industry, but continues to offer a large margin for growth”, emphasizes the CEO of APRAM.
The event will bring together CAI members, guests, operators, companies, industry agents, government officials and national and international journalists for three days.
The Conference is not limited to sectoral debates within the cruise industry. It will have a strong social component. The program starts on the 26th and ends on the 28th. Includes a visit to the Funchal Ecological Park, on September 26th, for international and national guests, speakers and journalists; and a FAM Trip, on September 28th, to the North of the Madeira Island, also for international and national guests, speakers and journalists. One of the highlights of the conference is the Welcome Cocktail that will take place at the end of September 26th, where the founders of CAI will be honored.
More information can be found at www.caiconference.com.
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