Australasia’s biggest cruise industry event opens this week, with hundreds of members of Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) gathering from across the region for the 2026 Cruise360 Australasia conference.
As CLIA’s first expanded two-day conference held in Sydney, this year’s event has been designed to help travel advisors capitalise on the trends and opportunities of a growing international cruise sector, under the theme “Future Ready. Client Ready. Cruise Ready.”
“Global cruise passenger numbers are on track to reach a new record of around 38 million people this year, and cruise lines are investing many billions of dollars in new ships and new innovations to help capture the growing worldwide demand for cruising,” said Joel Katz, CLIA Executive Director in Australasia.
“This year’s Cruise360 Australasia conference will be focused on understanding that growing demand and equipping our members to harness the opportunities it brings.”
This year’s conference program will offer a mix of international cruise experts and local industry figures who will share their insights at the International Convention Centre (ICC) Sydney on September 17 and 18.
The event will examine the evolving role of today’s cruise-specialist travel advisor, focusing on the skills, insights and confidence needed to remain trusted and commercially successful.
Among the highlights of Cruise360 will be a fresh look at AI aimed at providing practical insight for travel advisors, including a spirited debate on its travel impacts.
The event will also include a fast-paced focus on the opportunities in river cruising, a detailed look at the ‘dollars and sense’ of selling expedition cruising and a new look at reaching luxury clients from the perspective of high-end brands.
International insights will include an opening session panel of visiting cruise line leaders to provide a global context, including Helen Beck of Windstar, Mario Bounas of Swan Hellenic, Sam Seward of Quark Expeditions, David Siewers of Azamara Cruises and Jason Krimmel of Norwegian Cruise Line.
For the first time, CLIA has welcomed Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) as its Headline Partner for this year’s conference, expanding on HKTB’s longstanding presence at Cruise360 Australasia.
To view the full program, visit Cruise360 Australasia 2026.
