Women make waves at the Seatrade cruise convention in Miami Beach

Eighteen new cruise ships will be launched this year to serve an estimated 30 million cruisers. More than 1.1 billion workers are employed worldwide, making an economic impact of $134 billion, according to the panel, made up of Richard Fain, chairman and CEO of Royal Caribbean Cruises; Frank Del Rio, president and CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings; Arnold Donald, president and CEO of Carnival Corp; and Pierfrancesco Vago, executive chairman of MSC Cruises.