BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, DECEMBER 11TH 2009 (CUOPM) - For the first time this month, two sister ships with a total of 5,100 passengers and 1958 crew are visiting St. Kitts.
The 2,680-passenger Carnival Miracle and the 3,473-passenger Carnival Victory docked at Port Zante Friday morning.
The Carnival Miracle arrived from St. Lucia with 2,110 passengers and 913 crew and will leave for Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The Carnival Victory also arrived from St. John’s Antigua with 3,074 and 1,045 and will go on to St. Maarten.
On Thursday, a total of 5,041 passengers visited from the Norwegian Dawn and the Celebrity Equinox. The 2,500-passenger Norwegian Dawn with 2,244 passengers and 1075 crew arrived from St. Lucia before leaving for Miami. The Celebrity Equinox on its first visit arrived from Barbados with 2,794 passengers and 1253 crew and left for St. Thomas.
The 255-passenger Royal Clipper and the 2,450-passenger Millennium visited Wednesday; the 308-passenger Royal Clipper was in on Tuesday; the 1,692-passenger Ocean Village and 3,100-pasenger Ventura docked on Monday and the 2,681-passenger Celebrity Mercury and the 400-passenger Silver Shadow arrived on Sunday.
Most of the passengers came ashore and went on sightseeing tours via taxis, the Scenic Railway and tour buses to Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park, Romney Manor, Caribelle Batik, the National Museum, as well as snorkeling, sun and sea bathing at the island’s best beaches, sailing, hiking and shopping for souvenirs.
Cruise tourism pumped US$44 million or EC$118 million into the St. Kitts and Nevis economy during the 2008/2009 cruise year.
Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism, Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas, said it was evident that his administration took the right decision to close the debt-ridden sugar industry in 2005.
The survey-based analysis of the impacts of passenger, crew and cruise line spending was carried out by the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association, on the 26 cruise destinations during the period May 2008 through April 2009.
The survey indicated that cruise passengers who came ashore spent a total of US$33 million or EC$89.1 million. The crew members who disembarked spent a total US$7.8 million or EC$21.6 million while the cruise lines spent US$3 million or EC$8.1 million in St. Kitts and Nevis during the survey period.
While St. Kitts and Nevis generated US$44 million from cruise tourism, other destinations like Acapulco received US$21 million; Cartagena ( US$24 million); Costa Rica (US$26 million); Curacao (US$39 million); Dominica (US$14.1 million; Dominican Republic (US$23 million); Grenada (US$21 million); St. Vincent and the Grenadines (US$7 million); Trinidad and Tobago (US$2.9 million) and the Turks and Caicos Islands (US$25 million)
St. Kitts and Nevis led 24 of the 29 destinations in terms of average expenditure per cruise passenger of US$99.41 or EC$268.40.
FCCA figures also show based on the survey, that in St. Kitts and Nevis, expenditure in 2009 by each passenger increased to US$33.20 (EC$89.64) compared to US$5.40 (EC$14.50) in 2006, an increase of 514 percent and crew expenditure in St. Kitts and Nevis increased to US$7.80 (EC$21.06) in 2009 compared to US$0.40 (EC$1.08) in 2006, a whopping increase of 1,850 percent.
Expenditure by passengers dropped in Antigua, Aruba, Belize, Dominica, Grenada and St. Lucia.
Crew visiting St. Kitts and Nevis spent an average of US$142.14 or EC$383.77, the third highest crew expenditure rate among the 29 destinations and the seventh highest among the 29 destinations in total crew expenditures of US$7.8 million or EC$21 million.
Ahead of St. Kitts and Nevis were the United States Virgin Islands (US$152.58); St. Maarten (US$149.45); Puerto Rico (US$138.63), Curacao (US$116.88) and the Cayman Islands (US$108.81).
In other Caribbean destinations spending by crews were Antigua and Barbuda (US$54.16); Aruba US$69.34); Bahamas (US$77.95); Barbados (US$54.26); Dominica (US$56.41); Grenada (US$40.43); Jamaica (US$51.32); St. Lucia (US$37.66); St. Vincent and the Grenadines (US$17.61); Trinidad and Tobago (US$66.95) and the Turks and Caicos Islands (US$61.00).
