VANCOUVER — Canada is no longer an afterthought when it comes to cruising.

A strong dollar and an economy that has survived the recent economic turmoil better than most has led Canadians to embrace cruise holidays like never before.

And, despite the irritation around non-commissionable fees, Canadian travel agents have flocked to selling cruises to replace income lost in other areas.

Last year 775,000 Canadians took a cruise, triple the number 10 years ago and a 9.2% increase over 2008. Canadians represent 25.5% of all internationally-sourced (non-U.S.) cruise passengers.

This Canadian enthusiasm for cruises was on display at Cruise Lines International Association’s cruise3sixty 2010 conference and trade show here earlier this month.

The event drew 1,407 registered travel selling professional delegates resulting in 1,220 agents onsite. Including exhibitors and suppliers, cruise3sixty hosted nearly 2,100 total delegates and 302 trade show exhibitor booths – both record-breaking numbers.

As CLIA announced that registration for cruise3sixty 2011 in Fort Lauderdale is already open, early feedback about this year’s Vancouver conference, received from agents on CLIA’s Facebook Fan page, included rave reviews.

Reflecting the growing importance of Canada’s cruise market, Canadian agents accounted for 46% of cruise3sixty attendees this year, with American participation evenly distributed between eastern and western regions of the U.S.

Among international participants there were 25 delegates from Australia as well as from Brazil, India, Turkey and other countries around the world, another strong indication of the globalization of the industry. In its sixth year, this was the first time cruise3sixty was held outside of Fort Lauderdale, where the association is headquartered.

Once again, American Express was cruise3sixty’s Presenting Sponsor, joined by Tourism Vancouver, Port Metro Vancouver, Vancouver International Airport, Super, Natural British Columbia and a host of other sponsors, including Amadeus and Sabre Travel Network.

“cruise3sixty has grown bigger and better each year and we were delighted by the exceptionally strong response to holding it in the magnificent city of Vancouver,” said Terry L. Dale, CLIA’s president and CEO. “In addition to our many loyal travel agent partners from the United States, the strong showing by agents from Canada and other parts of the world are an indication of how important international business and the globalization of cruise operations are for the industry going forward.”

The conference opened with a welcome reception for all delegates at the Vancouver Aquarium complete with a dolphin show starring CLIA’s president. After introductory remarks by Rick Antonson, president and CEO of Tourism Vancouver and Chris Badger, chief operating office of Port Metro Vancouver, the first general session got underway with the “A View from the Bridge” Presidents Panel. Representing Crystal Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Cunard Line, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, and Windstar Cruises, the panel fielded questions about what the industry learned from the recession that can be applied to the future from Dr. Lalia Rach, dean at the Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tourism and Sports Management at New York University.

Acknowledging the important role of agents, Dan Hanrahan, Celebrity’s president, noted “a lesson we’re not likely to forget: that we’re lucky to have good partners at a time when you can’t do things alone.” The executives were unanimous in citing value as the industry’s strongest sales message. “No other holiday can deliver the value that cruising does,” said Peter Shanks, Cunard’s president and managing director. Stein Kruse, of Holland America, said he was struck by the irony that in 1982 cruise prices were higher than they are now while today’s product is “vastly superior.”

Throughout the course of the conference, agents participated in 15 CLIA seminars to earn up to 135 credits toward CLIA Certification as well as workshops, destination briefings, and cruise line product demonstrations and booking demo’s. CLIA training seminars taught a total of 2,425 participants, with many agents taking more than one course.

cruise3sixty 2011 will be held April 14-17 in Fort Lauderdale at the Broward County Convention Center at Port Everglades. Registration is open with Priority Preview registration rates, available only until July 4. Priority registration rates begin at $89 for CLIA members who are either Certified or enrolled in CLIA Certification. Non-Certified CLIA member rates are $109 and non-CLIA member agents can register for $169. Early Bird rates are valid July 5-Oct. 1 and start at $109. For more information and registration, visit www.cruise3sixty.com.