A founding member of the cruise line, McAlpin leads Virgin Voyages in all elements of ship design, onboard experience, construction, crew, safety, operations and service delivery.

Prior to joining Virgin Voyages, he was president and chief executive for The World – Residencies at Sea, and had previously served as a founding member of the Disney Cruise Line management team, spending the final five years of his time with Disney as president.

The theme for Clia’s 2019 conference, held from May 15-17, will be Next Generation, exploring what cruise lines are doing now in terms of investment and innovation to shape holidays for the future.

Last month, the association announced Azamara Club Cruises’ president and chief executive Larry Pimentel as its first keynote speaker.

Andy Harmer, Clia UK and Ireland director, said: “The theme, Next Generation, looks at how guests’ cruise holiday experiences will change as we know it, both ashore and onboard, due to the huge amount of investment and innovation within the cruise industry.

“The theme explores how such new experiences could attract the Next Generation of holidaymakers, who exactly those types of cruisers are, and how travel agents can make the most of this opportunity.”