The International Cruise Summit (ICS), held between November 18 and 19 in Madrid, covered topics including the increasing value of AI, the expanding luxury market and more.

The 15^th edition of the event featured executives from more than 25 cruise lines, ports, tour operators, travel agents, shipping agents, consultancies and companies.

The event’s organizer said in a press release that the application of AI in all operational areas of the industry was a significant topic of discussion, as it is gaining ground daily in optimizing itinerary planning, online sales, environmental impact prevention and areas such as operational process optimization.

The luxury market is growing at a rapid pace, with new companies emerging under hotel brands such as Ritz-Carlton, Four Seasons, Orient Express and Aman.

The importance of better communicating the value of cruise tourism was also emphasized.

Other takeaways from the summit include the following:

There is an increasing focus on providing passengers with unique experiences. These experiences are also creating opportunities to promote sailings on social media.

The impact of climate change was also analyzed, with cities expected to reach temperatures around 45ºC in summer, making it impossible for passengers to enjoy excursions as usual.

Some cities are beginning to develop contingency plans, and there was debate at the summit regarding the pros and cons of afternoon and evening calls.

The ICS 2026 event will be held on November 10 and 11 at the Hotel Meliá Castilla in Madrid.