SIMPSON BAY:--- The Port of St. Maarten will be represented at the 7th Seatrade Europe Cruise & River Cruise Convention that kicks off on September 24 in Hamburg Messe, Germany and runs through September 26.
The port delegation will be headed by Minster of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transportation and Telecommunications Hon. Ted Richardson.
Seatrade Europe includes a high-class exhibition and an informative conference, bringing together over 260 cruise line executives, including senior buyers, planners and key decision makers from Europe's ocean and river cruise lines, with suppliers from all sectors of these industries.
There will be more than 230 exhibitors from over 40 nations, including numerous companies new to cruise or that has not previously exhibited, are expected to showcase products and demonstrate innovations on the exhibition floor, a unique trade platform for suppliers from all sectors of the industry.
There will be over 60 speakers who will focus on key topics within Europe including the state of the cruise industry in Europe. The cruise line-port interface, ship building and refurbishment, Food & Beverage and hotel, onboard revenue, environmental advances in technology, itineraries and deployment, and also an exclusive Care Team awareness training session from Carnival.
The Port of St. Maarten was absent for a number of years, but its return is seen as very important in order to inform the industry in Europe about the current state of destination and cruise sector.
"Being present at Seatrade Europe allows us to learn about the challenges and future trends in the European cruise market. As a port and cruise destination, we have to be well informed and up to date in order to plan strategically. Therefore we will be meeting with all major European cruise line partners.
"This will be the first time that we are taking part in the Caribbean Village. We need to put the focus back on Europe and our emphasis is on destination shore development," Port of St. Maarten Chief Executive Officer Mark Mingo said on Sunday.
Mingo added that the harbor is looking to attract additional business from Europe. "The Port of St. Maarten is not sleeping. We have a lot in the planning especially moving towards the FCCA Conference in 2014.
"I would like to take this opportunity to thank Minister Hon. Ted Richardson for his tremendous support and for his involvement. It is not easy and we need the support from all including our shareholder rep to go out there and tackle the challenges.
"The port is also looking forward to seeing the launch of the Tourism Authority in order to align our strategies in further adding to the synergy needed to keep our country ahead of the rest especially looking at the upcoming high season," Mingo stated on Sunday.
Seatrade Europe remains the only cruise convention that incorporates river cruise, a market that is especially strong in Europe.
Recent figures have shown that cruise lines spent 6.6 billion Euros with European businesses in support of their cruise operations in 2012.
The European cruise industry is offering numerous new and updated routes. Between the Mediterranean and the Artic there are 65 different sea routes with more than 530 individual port destinations.
