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11/1006 |
Dubai Gears for Cruise Season |
28/07/06 |
ICE Vacations Media Release |
05/03/06 |
Cruise Safety Figures Released |
Press Release
Source: AME Info
United Arab Emirates: Wednesday, October 11 - 2006 at 15:01
Dubai gears for cruise season
Dubai will receive around 50 cruise ships during the sector's winter season from October 2006 to April 2007, according to Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing. Luxury cruise ships Queen Mary 2, Costa Classica, AIDAcara and Black Watch will be coming to Dubai Cruise Terminal for the first time.
Source: ICE Inc.
GOLD COAST, Australia – July 28th, 2006 – ICE Vacations, a market leader in facilitating global branded vacation clubs and leisure technology, have announced today they will be rolling out to their Asia Pacific operation the very latest in cruise and leisure technology developed by its sister company ‘OurVacationStore (OVS)’ from September 2006.
The launching of OVSCruise will give ICE a technology platform that is currently unavailable to any company in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific, thus ensuring ICE remains at the forefront of the cruise and leisure industry in the region.
Following on from ICE’s recent release of full travel website facilities to its ICE Vacations Asia Pacific brand, this new technology release will give ICE Asia Pacific and all of its associated brands and affiliate companies an unbeatable competitive advantage in the Australian Pacific cruise marketplace.
ICE, together with all affiliated branded clubs and corporate clients, will have the unprecedented benefit of ICE’s capacity to book twelve of the world’s largest cruise lines live from its Australian call centre ensuring that ICE is the only company in the Asia Pacific region with this ability. This will provide unbeatable response times; up-to-the-minute pricing and an ever growing array of additional products and benefits exclusive to ICE and its affiliated clubs and corporations.
ARLINGTON, Va., March 4 /PRNewswire/ -- The International Council of Cruise Lines (ICCL) today released information regarding crime on board cruise ships prior to a hearing before the House Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats and International Relations.
The industry data, based on 15 cruise lines' submissions, totalled 206 complaints from passengers and crew during a three-year timeframe (2003-2005) when more than 31 million people sailed on cruise ships. There were 178 complaints of sexual assault, four robberies and 24 missing persons during the three-year period.
The cruise industry retained nationally-renowned criminologist Professor James Fox, Ph.D., as an independent expert to review the data provided to Congress.
Professor Fox is the Lipman Family Professor of Criminal Justice at
Northeastern University, visiting fellow with the U.S. Department of Justice,
Bureau of Justice Statistics and author of 16 books.
"While virtually no place -- on land or sea -- is totally free of risk, the number of reported incidents of serious crime from cruise lines is extremely low, no matter what benchmark or standard is used," said Fox.
"Cruising is one of the safest vacations available with an outstanding
record that demonstrates the industry's commitment to safety and security,', said Michael Crye, president of the ICCL.
"The cruise lines cooperated with Congress in gathering these statistics to further demonstrate that cruising is an exceptionally safe vacation.' Crye further explained, 'Certainly, these are not just numbers; they represent people that have gone through personal tragedies.
We do not intend to minimize or brush aside their grievances nor shirk responsibility. The cruise industry is constantly reviewing its practices and procedures to make sure incidents, no matter how rare, are handled responsibly and with compassion.'
ICCL member cruise lines maintain a strict zero-tolerance policy for crime that was adopted in 1999. In the event of an incident, the cruise industry takes all allegations and incidents seriously, reports them to the proper authorities and fully cooperates in any investigation. In many instances,
cruise lines do not publicly disclose detailed information to comply with directions from law enforcement and out of respect for the families involved.
Cruise lines work closely with local, state, federal and international authorities, such as port authorities where ships call, the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the FBI and Interpol.
Every cruise ship has a dedicated security officer and staff whose sole function is the security
of the passengers, crew and vessel. Security staff personnel typically have a former law enforcement or military background and are trained according to international security regulations.
Crye offered the following advice for travelers: 'While instances of crime on board cruise ships are rare, it is important to be observant of one's possessions and one's surroundings at all times while traveling. Cruise passengers are reminded of this, as they are in any hotel, by safety information, daily bulletins, port visit briefings and the provision of room safes or safety deposit boxes.'
'While a crime can occur anywhere, a cruise ship is one of the safest ways
to travel.' Crye added.
About the ICCL:
The International Council of Cruise Lines (ICCL) represents the interests of 15 passenger cruise lines that call on major ports in the United States and abroad. ICCL member lines include: Carnival Cruise Lines, Celebrity Cruises, Costa Cruise Line N.V., Crystal Cruises, Cunard Line, Disney Cruise Line, Holland America Line, NCL America, Norwegian Cruise Line, Princess Cruises,
Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Royal Caribbean International, Seabourn Cruise Line, Silversea Cruises and Windstar Cruises. These vessels account for approximately 90% of the North American passenger cruise line industry.
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