From 25 to 26 October 'International Cruise Summit 2012' will take place in Madrid, Spain. The summit is organized by CruisesNews Media Group and will bring together major  industry players, from Spain and around the world.

This event aims to turn Spain into an international reference center for cruise tourism industry, concentrated in Madrid. Some of the most influential national and international players in the cruise sector will discuss the challenges of the cruise industry.

The event will feature speakers representing the Spanish ports Barcelona, Valencia and Malaga, as well as executives from ship owners, including deployment and operations management.

The summit will also analyze other aspects such as security sector, demands new itineraries, creating cruise destinations and port-related destination image of Spain as a cruise destination.

Spain is the second largest destination in Europe for cruise ships after Italy. Last year Spain reached almost eight million cruise passengers, which puts Spain as a global cruise destination with annual growth of around 10%.