World Ports Conference Hamburg: AIDA President Michael Ungerer takes a stand for the expansion of port infrastructure
On occasion of this year's World Ports Conference in Hamburg Michael Ungerer, President of AIDA Cruises and Chairman of Cruise Association CLIA, spoke to representatives of the main port cities in the world on June 4th, 2015.
Ungerer talked about the development of the cruise industry in the German market and economic impacts of this increasingly important industry. He focused particularly on the port of Hamburg, which has become one of the leading cruise destinations in Northern Europe. He also presented the opportunities and challenges associated with the growth of the cruise industry.
"The demand for cruises continues. Between 2014 and 2017 the capacity of German cruise lines will grow by 42.9 %. By 2016 we want to reach the 2 million mark in Germany and there may also be a further million guests on top in the upcoming 3 to 4 years," said Ungerer. However, this can only be achieved, if all responsible parties start to think about the necessary requirements today. "The existing infrastructures of the Year 2015 will not be sufficient for this," Ungerer underlines.
Another key issue in the cooperation between cruise companies and ports is the continuous improvement of environmental performance.
"Sustainable management and the consistent protection of the environment are the guarantee for being able to successfully offer cruises in the future," said Ungerer.
Overall, AIDA Cruises will invest around 100 million euros in environmental and climate protection until 2016 and thus bring new technologies like a comprehensive exhaust gas treatment system, onshore power supply and LNG operation on the road. With this pilot project for the energy supply of cruise ships using LNG while being berthed in ports, which is thus far unique worldwide, AIDA Cruises and Becker Marine Systems have opened a new chapter for environmental protection in the port of Hamburg on May 30, 2015.
AIDA says “Thank You” to a million Facebook fans
The cruise company AIDA cruises welcomed its millionth fan to Facebook on January 29, 2016. Germany’s biggest cruise company has thus crossed a magic threshold right on time for its “20 Years of AIDA” anniversary, and it is the leader in Germany in terms of its gigantic fan ... [more]
AIDA Cruises achieves positive sustainability result in 2015
AIDA Cruises, a pioneer in the German cruise industry when it comes to sustainability, successfully continued in its commitment to reduce emissions in 2015.“We have once again achieved important milestones in environmental protection. Since 2015, AIDAsol is the first cruise ship ... [more]
AIDA Cruises: Dr. Gerlinde Leichtfried is new Senior Vice President Marketing & E-Commerce
Dr. Gerlinde Leichtfried (39) has been reinforcing the AIDA Cruises leadership team as of January 1, 2016 in her new role as Senior Vice President Marketing & E-Commerce. In this position the native Austrian will be responsible for all brand and product communication, ... [more]