Punching Above Our Weight
BASSETERRE (16TH December, 2019): History was made today when four cruise ships docked at Port Zante for the very first time, with two of the ships moored at the newly constructed second cruise pier, bringing a total of 10,629 cruise passengers to our shores.
Limited operations started today at the second cruise pier, with the docking of the Celebrity Summit, with a maximum capacity of 2,450 passengers and the Seabourn Odyssey, with a maximum capacity of 450 passengers. An arrival area is presently under construction for the second pier, meanwhile cruise passengers use a concrete walkway to get to the Port Zante Arrival Hall.
The other two ships docked at Port Zante were the Britannia with a maximum capacity of 4,372 passengers, and the Anthem of the Seas, with a maximum capacity of 4,905 passengers.
Left to right: Clayton Perkins (Executive Chairman at Delisle Walwyn); Ioannis Kasimatis (Captain of Celebrity Summit); Racquel Brown (CEO at the St. Kitts Tourism Authority); Hon. Lindsay F.P. Grant (Minister of Tourism); Hon. Timothy Harris (Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis); Hon. Ian Liburd (Minister of Public Infrastructure, Post, Urban Development and Transport); Gary Da Silva (Chairman at SCASPA) and Denzil James (CEO at SCASPA).
Prime Minister The Hon. Timothy Harris, Minister of Tourism The Hon. Lindsay F.P. Grant, and the Minister of Transport The Hon. Ian Patches Liburd, along with tourism and port officials, were on hand to welcome passengers at the newly opened second pier.
Prime Minister Harris said this was yet another major milestone for St. Kitts, which would result in more ships coming to the island.
“This is indeed an historic day for St. Kitts, as never before have we had four larger cruise ships docked at the same time in Port Zante,” Prime Minister Harris said. “We are moving in the right direction, and the Team Unity Government will continue to invest in projects that empower our people and enlarge the economic opportunities and freedoms within St. Kitts and Nevis.”
Minister Grant noted that the second pier will keep St. Kitts high on the list of the cruise lines’ top Caribbean ports of call.
“This is yet another competitive edge in the Caribbean cruise industry, affirming St. Kitts’ enviable position in the cruise market” Minister Grant said. “Indeed I am proud to note the growth of our cruise arrivals, the sector’s contribution to GDP, the increase in certified taxi and tour operators and our attainment of the marquee port status.”
Last week St. Kitts added to its growing list of accolades, when the destination was named Cruise Destination of the Year by Caribbean Journal in the publication’s Caribbean Travel Awards 2020. The 2020 Caribbean Travel Awards marks only the 2nd year that Caribbean Journal has included a category for Cruise Destination of the Year and last year it was won by Jamaica, a much larger destination.#
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