13 November 2019
Pictured (Left to Right): Product Development Manager at the St. Kitts Tourism Authority, Melnecia Marshall; Director, Worldwide Operations Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Jamie Castillo; Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism Mrs. Carlene Henry-Morton; FCCA Operations Team Chairman and MSC Cruises (USA) Inc. VP Operations Albino DiLorenzo; Minister of Tourism, The Hon. Lindsay F.P. Grant; FCCA President Michele Paige;Director, Commercial Homeport Operations, Carnival Cruise Line Carlos Estrada; and St. Kitts Tourism Authority CEO Racquel Brown at the St. Kitts Marriott Resorton November 4, 2019, for a meeting with localcruise tourism stakeholders.
Participants Discuss Further Development of the Island’s Cruise Sector
Led by Minister Grant, the St. Kitts teamincluded: Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism Mrs. Carlene Henry-Morton; CEO of the St. Kitts Tourism Authority Racquel Brown; and Product Development Manager of the St. Kitts Tourism Authority Melnecia Marshall. They further spoke with the FCCA Operations team about the opening of the second cruise pier at Port Zante, transportation sector standards, public infrastructure development, customer service training for traditional and non-traditional service providersand product enhancement plans to maintain the destination’s strong appeal to the cruise market.
St. Kitts exceeded one million cruise passenger arrivals in the 2017-2018 cruise season for the first time in its history, then did so againfor a second consecutive year in the 2018-2019 season. It is the only destination in the OECS ever to reach the million-passengermilestone. Having reachedit, St. Kitts is now considered by the cruise lines to be in the same marquee port status category as much larger destinations in the region. The second cruise pier at Port Zante is now open, which will allow St. Kitts to accommodate up to three of the world’s largest vessels – Oasis class ships – at the same time and improve the passenger arrival experience by eliminating the need to use the cargo port when a third ship calls at the Port.
About FCCA:
The FCCA is a not-for-profit trade organization composed of 21 member cruise lines operating nearly 200 vessels in Floridian, Caribbean and Latin American waters. Created in 1972, the FCCA’s mandate is to provide a forum for discussion on tourism development, ports, safety, security and other cruise industry issues. By fostering an understanding of the cruise industry and its operating practices, the FCCA seeks to build cooperative relationships with its partner destinations and to develop productive bilateral partnerships with every sector. The FCCA works with governments, ports and all private/public sector representatives to maximize cruise passenger, cruise line and cruise line employee spending, as well as enhancing the destination experience and the amount of cruise passengers returning as stay-over visitors. For more information about FCCA, visit www.f-cca.com.
