The eighth Seatrade Med Cruise Convention closed in Cannes, having welcomed some 3,000 participants through its doors over two and a half days of conference, exhibition, Cruise Agent Day by Top Cruise and social events.

Delegates in both the Itinerary Expansion and Cruise Demand session on Wednesday afternoon cheered when it was announced that the convention would return to France in 2012. The next Seatrade Med will take place in Marseille in October 2012, hosted by the Marseille Provence Cruise Club.

Greek Deputy Minister addressed gathered cruise professionals
Mr. George Nikitiades, Greek Deputy Minister for Culture & Tourism, visited the convention on Wednesday and addressed conference delegates during the afternoon sessions. He explained how Greece is recuperating from a difficult two years and went on to detail the action plan being implemented by the political leadership of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Mr. Nikitiades also provided insight into the future plans of the Government for tourism and cruise development. He said the government’s move to lift the restrictions on cabotage last May was part of a wider effort “to make up lost ground,” adding that the details of the package would likely be finalised this week. The Deputy Minister returned to tour the exhibition this morning, meeting both Greek and international exhibitors.

Food & beverage suppliers tipped on supplying the industry
The Dining at Sea Workshop, a food and beverage hosted buyer event held on the second day of Seatrade Med, saw 14 companies eager to break into the cruise market showcase products ranging from wine and champagne to canapes and cress. Following a lively “how to” conference session on the supply process and the dining revolution taking place at sea, cruise line buyers met one-on-one with participants to sample products and discuss possibilities.

Seatrade Insider Cruise Awards find their new owners
Var Provence (Destination of the Year), Port Everglades’ Cruise Terminal 18 (Port of the Year), IMAGE (Onboard Supplier), French Riviera Cruise Club (Environmental Initiative), Intercruises; Mama and Tapas Tour (Innovative Shorex) and Iceland Travel’s Xmas Hot & Spicy video (Marketing Initiative) were all honoured as winners in the fourth Seatrade Insider Cruise Awards, sponsored by Fidelio Cruise Software GmbH. These highly-respected industry accolades were presented during an evening of music at the City of Nice Opera House, part of Seatrade Med’s exceptional delegate social programme. Cruise industry aficionado Manfredi Lefebre D’Ovidio was also honoured as Cruise Personality of the Year, a special award sponsored by the Mauro Terrevazzi Foundation and V.Ships and presented by the late Mauro Terrevazzi’s widow.

Seatrade Med 2010 was organised in association with the French Riviera Cruise Club, who also arranged post-event familiarisation trips to showcase the full potential of the Cote d’Azur as a cruise destination.

Principal sponsors are the City of Nice, Conseil General Alpes-Maritimes, Palais des Festivals et des Congres, Region Provence Alpes Cote D’Azur and Riviera Ports Authority. Other main sponsors of the event are Antibes Port Vauban, Atout France, Club Croisiere Corsica, Fidelio Cruise Software GmbH, Hepburn Bio Care, Marseille Provence Cruise Club, MedCruise, MSC Cruises, STX Europe, Syndicat des Hoteliers de Cannes et Environs, Var Provence Cruise Club (VPCC) and Villefranche sur Mer.

ΠΗΓΗ: TravelDailyNews.com