CLIA

What CLIA does

CLIA Australasia is a membership-based trade association for the cruise industry, operating as the regional branch of the global Cruise Lines International Association. Founded in 1996 and headquartered in Sydney, the organization serves travel agencies and individual travel agents across Australia, New Zealand and Asia, with ancillary cruise line Executive Partners. Its core mission is to promote and grow the cruise industry through professional certification, training, events, and government advocacy.

The core technology stack consists of a Members Hub portal, Learning Academy online training platform, Digital Embarc ID Card system, and the Travel Agent Rewards Program redemption engine. Product offerings include tiered membership subscriptions, the six-week CLIA Masters certification course ($350 AUD), multi-city CLIA LIVE training events (eight cities in 2026), the virtual Ocean Debut Showcase, the Cruise360 Australasia flagship conference, Cruise Industry Awards, and the annual Cruise Month consumer campaign. Underlying infrastructure is a conventional web-based platform rather than a technology-centric build.

Revenue is generated through annual membership subscriptions from agencies and individual agents (tiered from $165 AUD individual to $8,800 AUD for the largest agency tier), Masters Program course fees, and event sponsorships and exhibitor packages. Membership year runs January to December with pro-rata options. Geographic expansion into Asia is offered in USD pricing, and the organization partners with Mercy Ships as its designated charity. The entity operates as International Cruise Council Australasia t/a CLIA Australasia.

Name

CLIA

Legal name

International Cruise Council Australasia t/a Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) Australasia

Website

https://cruising.org.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CLIA Australasia is a Sydney-based, non-profit trade association serving retail travel agents, travel agencies and cruise line partners across Australia, New Zealand and Asia with certification, training, events and industry advocacy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cruise Industry Trade Association

NAICS

Travel Agencies (561510), Deep Sea Passenger Transportation (483112), Tour Operators (561520)

SIC

Transportation Services (4700)

akta.pro primary industry

Cruise Travel Agencies & Specialist Cruise Consultants (THAEAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Ocean Cruise Specialists (Mainstream/Contemporary) (THAKAKAG)

Keywords

• Cruise trade association
• Travel agent certification
• Cruise industry training
• Travel membership program
• Cruise event management

Headquarters

HQ city

Sydney

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Travel Agency Membership Fees: Annual membership fees from travel agencies in Australia, New Zealand, and Asia, tiered based on agency size (number of employees). Fees range from $165 AUD for individual agents to $8,800 AUD for agencies with 211-240 employees. Membership is annual (January 1 to December 31) with pro-rata options for mid-year joiners.
2. Individual Travel Agent Membership Fees: Annual membership fees charged to individual home-based, mobile, or independent travel consultants. Individual membership is $165 AUD in Australia, $165 NZD in New Zealand, and $100 USD in Asia.
3. CLIA Masters Program Course Fees: Revenue from the CLIA Masters Program, a 6-week self-paced online course priced at $350 AUD, which includes course materials, weekly discussions, expert advice, mentoring, and assessments. Participants must hold CLIA Ambassador status to enroll.
4. Event Sponsorships and Exhibitor Fees: Revenue from CLIA Australasia events including CLIA LIVE, Cruise360 Australasia, and Cruise Industry Awards. Sponsors and exhibitors pay for participation packages, with terms requiring full payment within 14 days of invoice.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

CLIA Australasia is a membership-based trade association serving the cruise industry across Australia, New Zealand, and Asia. It provides travel agencies and individual travel agents with certification programs (CLIA Ambassador and Masters), industry training via an online Learning Academy, networking events (CLIA LIVE, Cruise360), exclusive bonus-commission rewards on cruise bookings, and government advocacy for the cruise sector.

Product overview

CLIA (Cruise Lines International Association) Australasia operates as a trade association for the cruise industry rather than a single product company. The organization provides a portfolio of membership-based services for travel agents including professional certification programs (CLIA Masters Program), live training events (CLIA LIVE across 8 cities), virtual showcases (Ocean Debut), and an online platform (CLIA Members Hub). The Travel Agent Rewards Program incentivizes cruise sales with bonus commissions exceeding AU$3000. Additional offerings include the annual Cruise360 conference, Cruise Industry Awards gala, Cruise Month promotional campaign, and tiered membership programs (Travel Agency, Individual Agent, and Asia) providing access to training, marketing resources, and industry networking. The organization connects cruise lines with retail travel agents through training, events, and promotional initiatives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Over AU$3000 in bonus commissions available per travel agent through the Travel Agent Rewards Program on eligible cruise bookings
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Mercy ShipsminorOthersCLIA's designated charity of choice. Mercy Ships operates hospital ships that provide free surgeries and medical care in developing countries.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Virtuoso: Virtuoso is a luxury travel agency network providing member agencies with training, marketing, and supplier relationships. It overlaps with CLIA Australasia in serving the same travel agent base with a membership-network value proposition, although focused on luxury rather than cruise specifically.
• Signature Travel Network: Signature Travel Network is a cooperative of independent travel agencies offering members preferred supplier access, marketing, and education. It is comparable to CLIA Australasia as another membership-based travel trade organization providing cruise-relevant training and supplier access to retail agents.

Regional players

• PATA (Pacific Asia Travel Association): PATA is a regional travel industry association serving the Asia-Pacific region with membership, research, and advocacy. It is a regional peer relevant to CLIA Australasia's Asia expansion ambitions, though it focuses on destination marketing and government liaison rather than agent certification.
• Travel Agents Association of New Zealand (TAANZ): TAANZ is the New Zealand travel agent trade body that CLIA Australasia itself references as an accreditation body for member eligibility. It is a regional peer that overlaps with CLIA in serving the same New Zealand travel agent population but does not focus specifically on cruise.
• Australian Travel Industry Association (ATIA): ATIA is the Australian national travel industry association representing travel agents, tour operators, and wholesalers. It is comparable to CLIA Australasia as another Australian travel-agent trade body, though broader in scope and also referenced by CLIA as a membership accreditation source.

Broad incumbents

• IATA (International Air Transport Association): IATA is the global airline industry trade association that also accredits travel agents through its IATA accreditation program. CLIA Australasia accepts IATA accreditation as evidence of agent trading status, making IATA an adjacent incumbent that operates the same accreditation-trade-association model at a much larger scale.
• AAA Travel: AAA Travel is the travel agency and membership travel services division of the American Automobile Association. It is a broad incumbent that operates cruise-selling retail travel agency services alongside a membership loyalty platform, overlapping with CLIA's member-agent value proposition but at much larger scale and in a different geography.

Direct peers

• ABTA (Association of British Travel Agents): ABTA is the UK travel industry trade association serving travel agents and tour operators with membership, training, and consumer protection. It is comparable to CLIA Australasia as a national trade body providing agent membership and industry advocacy, though it spans all travel rather than specializing in cruise.
• American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA): ASTA is the leading U.S. trade association for retail travel advisors, offering membership, advocacy, training, and an annual convention. It is directly comparable to CLIA Australasia because it serves the same travel agent membership base with similar B2B trade-association services, although with a broader (non-cruise-specific) remit.
• CLIA North America: CLIA North America is the largest regional branch of the global Cruise Lines International Association, providing parallel membership, certification, and events to U.S. and Canadian travel agents. It is the most directly comparable peer to CLIA Australasia as the same brand operating the same trade-association model in a different geography.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CLIAinAustralasia
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/international-cruise-council-australasia
• Instagraminstagram.com/cliaaustralasia/?hl=en
• Xx.com/CLIAAustralasia

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CLIA