PEMBROKE PINES, Fla., May 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA), the only trade association representing the mutual interests between the cruise industry and destinations and stakeholders in the Caribbean and Latin America, is putting Central America on the cruise industry map with the FCCA Central America Summit. Taking place in San Pedro Sula, Honduras tomorrow until May 12, the event will gather around 200 local stakeholders for a specialized forum offering a dynamic platform to promote the rapidly growing region and develop relationships and mutual understanding between local stakeholders and cruise lines.
"The FCCA Central America Cruise Summit will let attendees meet with and learn from some of the most important decision makers in the cruise industry," said Adam Goldstein, President & COO, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (RCCL), and Chairman, FCCA. "The region contains immense potential, and the FCCA seeks to optimize it by instilling the necessary operational knowledge and forging invaluable business relationships."
"This event epitomizes one of the FCCA's main goals: to help destinations maximize their share of cruise tourism," said Michele Paige, President. "In addition to imparting necessary operational knowledge and tackling specific issues to the region, the event provides an invaluable resource -- knowing the right people -- by linking attendees with some of industry's most important decision makers."
The biennial Summit will achieve this by linking attendees with executives from the FCCA's 19 Member Lines. Attendees were able to pre-schedule one-on-one meetings with executives of their choice, providing a chance to promote products and receive individualized input. Cruise executives from sectors like shore excursions, destination development, government relations, port operations and purchasing will be on-hand looking to take on business and help attendees fine-tune their products to best fit the cruise lines.
Executives will also provide input through workshops aimed at addressing specific regional operations and improving general business with the cruise industry. Vina Adams, Procurement Manager, Food & Beverage, RCCL, will lead an interactive workshop focused on the cruise industry's purchasing guidelines, with panelists including other cruise executives, including Javonte Anyabwele, Vice President, Strategic Sourcing, Carnival Corporation & plc., and successful suppliers.
David Candib, Vice President, Development & Operations, Carnival Corporation & plc, will moderate "The Destination Experience," revealing current trends in itinerary planning, how they affect Central America, and what destinations can do to improve the experience and overall region. Other panelists include Federico Gonzalez-Denton, Associate Vice President, Government Relations, Caribbean & Latin America, RCCL, and Arnaldo Zanonato, Senior Manager, Port Adventures, Disney Cruise Line.
Plus, executives will be accessible during social functions fostering networking and relationship building. The functions will also introduce them to Honduras' friendly people and wide array of activities and destination products, with the attending cruise executives and stakeholders getting first-hand experiences of the destination's cruise tourism infrastructure and what passengers can see and do while visiting, as well as Honduras' ability to organize events and provide MICE tourism.
About the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association
Created in 1972, the FCCA is a not-for-profit trade organization that provides a forum for discussion on tourism development, ports, safety, security, and other cruise industry issue and builds bilateral relationships with destinations' private and public sectors. By fostering an understanding of the cruise industry and its operating practices, the FCCA works with governments, ports and private sector representatives to maximize cruise passenger, crew and cruise line spending, as well as enhance the destination experience and increase the amount of cruise passengers returning as stay-over visitors. For more information, visit F-CCA.com, the FCCA on Facebook, and @FCCAupdates on Twitter.
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SOURCE Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association