BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - OFFICIALS within the local tourism sector were all smiles today (Jan. 12), as five cruise vessels made Port calls, bringing with them over 16,000 passengers.
Minister of Tourism Hon. Lindsay Grant told reporters while taking in the sights of the visitors, that it is a “historic day for St. Kitts and Nevis” with the largest number of visitors gracing the shore of Federation of any given cruise day.
Making calls to St. Kitts were: The Adventure of the Seas of the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, Regal Princess of Princess Cruises, Aida Luna of Aida Cruises, Freedom of the Seas of the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line and TUI Discovery of Thomson Cruises.
According to the Minister, the docking of the five vessels would not just be a one-off special occasion, because for the seasons ahead there would be similar occurrences where upwards of six ships would dock on any given day.
“As I look to the forthcoming season, not this season but the next, five ship days and six-ship days are going to become almost the norm. So really and truly for me, it is to ensure that the vendors, the shopkeepers, the tour operators, those that are doing excursions, get ready for what is to come and what is already here because this industry is growing from strength to strength.”
He noted that for the 2016/2017 Cruise Season, the Ministry is expecting to record more than 1.1 million cruise passenger arrivals to the island.
In fact, Minister Grant emphasized that the numbers would be historic when achieved, along with the 391 calls that are expected for the season.
“We had record numbers last year and we have even more record numbers this year, and for the following year we would give you record numbers again.”
To this end, Grant stressed that customer service remains a priority for him within the industry.
Speaking of the economic benefits of having these five vessels in, Minster Grant pointed out that the average spending is estimated to be at US$111.08 per person. There the expected impact of 16,000 visitors would be tremendous.
Minister Grant said discussions were held with law enforcement officials about effectively policing the area, especially with the influx of tourists.
There was a heightened police presence at the port today – as was witnessed by this media house - and Minister Grant reported that up until late morning today no report of incidents had been made.
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