OIC’s Miami trips add to £25k conferences bill
Trips to conferences for Orkney’s marine staff have racked up a £25,000 bill in each of the last two years, The Orcadian can reveal.
Sending two staff members to a cruise industry soiree in Miami cost more than £7,500 in 2025.
The organisers of Seatrade Cruise Global say they brought together “the critical components for the magical engine” that powers the industry, including more than 600 exhibitors from over 128 countries.
Orkney Islands Council (OIC) says it doesn’t know the expense claims for the seven-day trip, as neither official is still employed by the authority.
Cruise liner activity earned the council £5.9 million, according to the figures for 2024/25.
A Freedom of Information (FOI) request by The Orcadian has outlined the costs of sending marine and harbours staff to conferences on cruise and renewables.
OIC says trips like these help staff “maintain direct relationships with industry contacts” and help promote Orkney as a destination.
Over the past five years, more than £85,000 has been spent on sending staff to conferences, ranging from offshore wind workshops to energy meetings.
Broken down for each year, this amounts to:
2021/22
Three events at a cost of:
- £1,500 — flights/ferries/ accommodation.
- £50 — meals, transport etc.
2022/23
Eight events at a cost of:
- £15,660 — flights/ferries/ accommodation.
- £1,700 — meals, transport etc.
2023/24
Eight events at a cost of:
- £15,400 — flights/ferries/ accommodation.
- £1,300 — meals, transport etc.
2024/25
Eleven events at a cost of:
- £21,600 — flights/ferries/ accommodation.
- £2,700 — meals, transport etc.
2025/26
Twelve events at a cost of:
- £24,300 — flights/ferries/ accommodation
- £800 — meals, transport etc. (For three events, OIC says it has no access to the expense claims as the staff who attended are no longer employed).
The £7,500 Miami cruise conference in 2025 was the most expensive trip detailed in the FOl response.
Sending two officials to the same event in 2024 cost £4,800, plus £590 in expenses.
However, attending Seatrade Cruise Global this April was a much cheaper affair. Only one staff member was sent for the six-day trip, which cost £1,800, plus £400 in expense claims.
Next to the 2025 Miami jaunt, the second most expensive excursion was in 2024 to the Cruise Europe Conference in Stockholm, attended by two officials.
Spending three days away, transport and accommodation cost £6,900, in addition to expenses totalling £540.
Meanwhile, putting two staff members to Seatrade Europe in Germany in September 2025 cost almost £4,000.
A spokesman for the local authority said: “Orkney Islands Council staff attend a range of industry conferences each year, covering areas including cruise, ports and renewable energy.
“These events allow staff to maintain direct relationships with industry con-tacts, promote Orkney as a destination, and stay informed of trends affecting the sectors in which the council operates.
“This supports the council’s wider work to encourage economic growth across these sectors.”