Big interview Rule
Britannia
any things are known about Andy Harmer. He is an experienced and well-respected name, not just in maritime affairs, but in the wider travel industry. As UK and Ireland director at the industry body CLIA, he is also responsible for overseeing domestic cruising in the UK, providing information to and liaising with operators, trade associations and government ministers. Ultimately, Harmer’s calling is safeguarding UK cruising from harm and enabling it to flourish through advocacy and trade relations. What is not widely known is that in his youth Harmer very nearly became a television actor. Based in Hong Kong on his year abroad, he had the opportunity to act in a one-off drama programme for an English television network. He enjoyed the experience but was due to fly to North America soon after and thought nothing of it. A few days before departure the producer called Harmer, offering him a regular slot on a TV drama. “I’ll never know whether that was something I could have pursued further,” he says with a smile. It’s a fitting omission. Afterall, for the travel sector, Covid-19 has delivered a series of twists and turns that have much in common with a run of the mill soap opera. Now, after successive lockdowns left cruise operators losing money and trapped in a government imposed limbo, a more positive narrative is emerging.
M
The cruising reprisal On 20 May 2021, three days after the UK government gave the green light for domestic
8 World Cruise Industry Review /
www.worldcruiseindustryreview.com
It’s been a year of mixed emotions for UK cruising. After a series of lockdowns in the bleak months of winter stalling operations, the great British cruise is alive and kicking and has had a summer of successful domestic itineraries. But do these recent victories signal a brighter future for the national cruise sector, if not the global industry as a whole? Will Moffitt puts the question to Andy Harmer, director for UK and Ireland at Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA).
CLIA
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