The Australasian cruise industry has honoured Clean Cruising General Manager & Director Dan Russell with a special Cruise Champion Award announced by Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) at its Cruise360 Australasia conference in Sydney.
Mr Russell has been celebrated for his role in supporting industry calls for a careful resumption of cruise operations in Australia and New Zealand.
“Dan Russell worked shoulder to shoulder with CLIA, cruise lines, and fellow advocates to help secure a pathway to resumption for the Australasian cruise industry,” said CLIA Managing Director Australasia Joel Katz.
“Dan’s efforts supported and inspired so many others to help secure a way forward for cruising in our region.”
CLIA’s Cruise Champion Award was created in 2019 to acknowledge the evolving role of travel agents and the increasing part they play as ambassadors for the cruise industry.
While CLIA’s annual Cruise Industry Awards have been suspended for the past two years, the Cruise Champion category has been offered as a special award for 21-2022 to recognise the efforts of many thousands of travel agents who campaigned for cruising’s return.
“When we created the Cruise Champion Award before the pandemic, we could never have known how important this category would become,” Mr Katz said.
“Over the past two years, every travel agent in the region has become a Cruise Champion. We’re incredibly grateful to every single member of the travel agent community.”
CLIA’s annual Cruise Industry Awards will return for the first time in three years in March 2023 with a gala event to be held at the Big Top at Luna Park, Sydney.
For more, head to www.cruising.org.au
