BASSETERRE, St. Kitts— FOLLOWING a somewhat slow cruise season by pre-pandemic standards, the Federation is projecting to reach 1 million cruise passenger arrivals by the end of the season.
Marsha Henderson, Minister of Tourism, shared this projection during her recent press conference, where she informed the media and stakeholders that this would represent a double-digit increase over the previous season.
"Looking towards the upcoming 2024-2025 cruise season, the season's projections show us poised to welcome over 1 million passengers from 391 cruise calls. So we're slowly closing in the gap. In fact, we have based on the projections and these projections present an increase of 20% over our projected 2023-2024 figures," the minister noted.
While the Federation celebrates this potential milestone, the minister cautioned that the target is achievable only if all scheduled vessels arrive at their maximum capacity throughout the season.
If the Federation reaches this goal, it would mark the second time achieving this milestone, with the last record being set in 2018. Achieving such goals continues to position the Federation as one of the marquee ports in the region.
However, much of the challenge in meeting these numbers will depend on factors such as the US elections and the global outlook for 2025 and beyond.
"This projection is encouraging and rings with optimism. However, I wish to caution us all to be practical and realise that achieving these numbers is heavily dependent on external factors such as weather conditions and the ships arriving at full capacity, which are the numbers used, of course, to make these projections. These can, in fact, affect our actual arrival figures reported ultimately at the end of the season," the minister explained.
Despite these potential challenges, Henderson expressed a sense of optimism, stating, "We remain positive, and we remain in a state of readiness."
She called on service providers to deliver exceptional service and immersive cultural experiences. "Our goal is to meet and even exceed visitor expectations. So let us set aside negativity and extend a hand of partnership to those willing to work alongside us," Henderson added.
The arrival of the Star of the Seas, expected on September 11, 2025, will be another highlight. This ship, still under construction, is part of the Icon class and is scheduled to set sail on August 31, 2025.
"Our goal is to meet their expectations. Our goal is not just to meet their expectations but, very good, to exceed their expectations. So let us set aside the negativity and extend a hand of partnership with those willing to work alongside us," she noted.
According to the FCCA, the 2023-2024 cruise season brought in USD 113 million in spending to the local economy.
