Carnival Corporation has announced Christine Duffy has been named president of Carnival Cruise Line.

The company, with 24 ships, is the largest of Carnival Corporation’s nine distinct cruise brands.

Duffy, currently president and chief executive of Cruise Lines International Association, will assume the role on February 1st, reporting to Arnold Donald, chief executive of Carnival Corporation.

Donald said: “Christine is one of the most respected and dynamic leaders in the travel industry.

“She brings a wealth of experience to Carnival Cruise Line that will help the cruise line continue to deliver unmatched vacation experiences to millions of guests each year.”

Duffy has more than 30 years of experience in the travel industry and started her career as a travel agent in Philadelphia at McGettigan Partners.

As chief executive of CLIA, the leading trade association of the cruise industry, she led many advancements including the globalisation of cruise industry associations around the world to create a unified voice promoting cruising to key stakeholders from policy makers to consumers through CLIA’s more than 13,000 travel agency members representing over 50,000 travel agents.

In this role, Duffy successfully engaged member cruise lines and industry stakeholders to support CLIA’s expansion into new and emerging markets around the world.

Before assuming her role with CLIA in 2010, she served as president and chief executive of Maritz Travel, the largest corporate meeting, incentive and event companies in the world from 2004-2010.

Duffy said: “This is a tremendous opportunity for me to be part of a dynamic organisation with a long history of innovation and industry firsts.

“The name Carnival is truly synonymous with cruising and I look forward to joining this talented team to continue the tradition of excellence that has made Carnival Cruise line one of the top cruise lines in the world.”

Duffy serves on various travel industry boards including US Travel Association, the advisory board for Starwood Hotels, and the Board of Directors for Visit Florida.