CLIA said that eight other trade groups for cruise interests around the world will consolidate under the CLIA banner to provide a more global effort to represent the industry.
The European Cruise Council, Asia Cruise Association and Britian's Passenger Shipping Association are among the most prominent members of the new alliance.
Other members are France's AFCC, Brazil's Abremar, the Northwest and Canada Cruise Association, the Alaska Cruise Associatin and the International Crise Council Australasia.
The new group will be governed by a global executive committee chaired by Carnival Corp.'s vice chairman, Howard Frank. Its president will be current CLIA president and CEO Christine Duffy.
For travel agents, CLIA said the expanded association offers more robust partnerships and networking on a broader scale.
“Given the tremendous growth and continuing globalization of the cruise industry, this evolution addresses the need to speak and act globally with a unified voice while recognizing the importance of local relationships," Frank said.
Follow Tom Stieghorst on Twitter @tstravelweekly.