CEO Interview: How Cruising Has Prepared for Its Push Into Asia

It's been a quiet couple of years for the cruise industry when it comes to safety and security incidents, which has freed up the industry's trade group to gear up for a global pivot instead of focusing on public relations triage. Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) president and CEO Cindy D'Aoust, who originally joined the organization in 2014 and was recently promoted this year, has worked to solidify the global coalition of cruise groups that CLIA has been working to unite since 2013. At a time when major cruise lines themselves have been focused on promoting new ships and breaking into new markets like China, CLIA has quietly been working to create a global framework for cooperation across the industry. Skift spoke to D'Aoust in Vancouver about CLIA's policy role in Washington, the challenges of uniting the stakeholders in a giant global industry, and why all eyes in cruising are on Asia. Skift: CLIA moved its operations from South Florida to Washington, D.C.