Seatrade Miami: 'Great to Be Back'

The keynote panel at Seatrade (NPBL Photo)

By GERRY BARKER

MIAMI BEACH, Fla._The banner hanging above the Seatrade entrance at the Miami Beach Convention Center said it all: “It’s Great to Be Back!”

It’s been two years since the cruise industry gathered here in person, and there was a definite joy in the air from seeing old friends and colleagues again.

Even so, this 35th edition of Seatrade was a markedly different experience: Pre-registration health questionnaires, uploading your proof of vaccination and temperature checks on entry — all part of the new COVID world order.

Show officials estimated attendance at around 2,000 — some 10,000 less than last time around. And the giant exhibit floor, normally packed wall-to-wall, was maybe half full. But the show did go on, and we were grateful it did.

​READ THE COMPLETE REPORT AT ALL THINGS CRUISE

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