MedCruise, the Association of Mediterranean Cruise Port, celebrates its 28th birthday with 3 days of panels, presentations, and events organised from 11th to 14th of June, whose central theme is “inclusiveness”.
MedCruise celebrates its 28th birthday marking a record participation in the history of MedCruise General Assemblies, with 26 cruise line executives from 23 different cruise companies and 15 national and international media guests attending in Tarragona from June 11-14, 2024.
The inauguration of the 64th MedCruise General Assembly has been hosted at the H10 Imperial Tarraco Hotel, venue of the event, at the presence of the President of the Port Authority Mr Saul Garrets, the Major of Tarragona Mr Ruben Viñuales, the President of MedCruise Mrs Figen Ayan, the principal local authorities and all the participants registered.
The launch coincides with the opening of the new cruise terminal in the port of Tarragona, showcasing the city’s commitment to excellence and the development of the cruise industry. The port of Tarragona has seen growth from 13 cruises in 2013 to 57 calls and 110,000 passengers in 2023
MedCruise President, Figen Ayan, expressed her excitement about the event, stating, “our welcome reception, gala and farewell dinners venues are unique. With such a high participation of cruise lines and media representative I can only imagine how vibrant our B2B meetings will be! I am a big lover of archaeology and history and Tarragona is simply the best destination to discover antique sites and feel like travelling back in time.
Hence, for the next 3 days, I invite you all to enjoy the unique venues, the delicious gastronomy of Tarragona or Costa Daurada, the rich sessions, to benefit from the B2Bs but especially contribute to the debate, and heart fully join all the networking opportunities to make at the end of the week strong friendships. All this wrapped up by the hospitality that MedCruise and the Tarragona Management as the hosting port are offering you all during this MedCruise’s 64th General Assembly”
The theme of the 64th MedCruise General Assembly is “inclusiveness,” with panels, presentations, and events capturing its meaning. The panel “Women Power in the Waters” is a great example, exploring the tools and platforms needed to encourage and enable young women to enter the maritime sector. It will be moderated by Anne-Marie Spinosi, MedCruise Board Director and Corsica Ports Cruise Manager, and the speakers will include Captain Kate McCue from Celebrity Cruises, Marie-Caroline Laurent, CLIA Europe Director General, and FigenAyan, MedCruise President and Galataport Istanbul Chief Port Officer.
Also representing the commitment to inclusiveness is the presentation on “Queer Destinations” given by Edgar Weggelaar, Queer Destinations CEO and partner, and presented by Cristina Lopez, Cruises News Media Group Deputy Director, and Nicky Guerrero, ICS Director. This presentation will address the needs of the LGTBQ+ community in terms of experiences and services in ports and destinations.
Other interesting and insightful panels will be: ‘Expeditions in the Med. Is it Possible?’; ‘How We Create Harmonious and Holistic Services in Our Ports and Destinations’; and ‘Decoding Charm: Strategies to Integrate Medium Size Ports into the Cruise Itinerary’. Also, the presentation on new EU immigration regulations given by Frontex will be very valuable.
Other highlights of the programme include a Human Towers Workshop, representing a cultural symbol of the city of Tarragona; a gala dinner in the vaults of the Roman Circus, a UNESCO World Heritage site; a great variety of Fam Trips, Networking Events, B2B Meetings, and more.
64th MedCruise General Assembly Guests
64th MedCruise General Assembly Booklet
