Clia to make 2026 ‘most impactful year yet’ for trade engagement

Clia has unveiled a new fam trip to Seattle and a line-up of new events for the luxury and small-ship sectors for 2026.

The announcements came as the trade body hosted its annual UK conference in Southampton, with more than 800 delegates attending.

The cruise trade body will run the new fam trip to Seattle and Washington State in partnership with the Port of Seattle, Visit Seattle, Virgin Atlantic, Delta Air Lines, Holland America Line and Travel Weekly.

Applications will open shortly, and the trip will be aimed at senior sales, commercial and product managers.

The trip will include return flights from London, a three-night stay in the city, followed by ship visits to Eurodam and Star Princess, and a three-night stay in Washington State featuring hosted activities, guided tours and dining.

In addition, three other new events for agents will take place in 2026: a luxury cruise summit on Oceania Marina in Southampton on September 4, a river cruise forum in Manchester on October 6, and a yacht and small-ship forum in Birmingham on October 7.

The organisation will also bring back its Clia Expedition Showcase in Svalbard for a second time in July this year, with five ships from AE Expeditions, HX Expeditions, Silversea, Swan Hellenic and Ponant available for agents to visit.

The second year of its Clia Expedition Champions programme will graduate in Birmingham in June, with applications for 2027 due to open in September.

“The range of initiatives announced today underlines our ambition to make 2026 our most impactful year yet for trade engagement,” Clia UK and Ireland managing director Andy Harmer said.

“Whether via ship visits, specialist training, networking opportunities or flagship events, we’re continuing to invest in helping agents develop their expertise and unlock new sales opportunities across every cruise sector.”