By
Alex Smith |
Carnival Corporation, and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the government of Saint Lucia to form a joint venture to manage the existing cruise pier at the Port of Castries in Saint Lucia. The two cruise companies will also design, construct and operate a new cruise port in Vieux Port on the southern part of the Caribbean island.
“This is an exciting day for our guests who already love the beauty and deep culture of Saint Lucia and an important step in sustaining cruise tourism growth for the island,” said Giora Israel, senior vice president of global port and destination development at Carnival Corporation. "We look forward to working closely with our partners to give cruise passengers great experiences when visiting the island.”
Together, Carnival Corporation and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. currently account for 75% of all cruise ship deployment to Saint Lucia. The joint venture would optimise the experience for guests visiting Saint Lucia while developing additional infrastructure to support the industry’s latest ships and promoting the growth of cruise tourism to the island.
"The cruise market is the fastest growing sector of tourism and in the next decade cruising in the Caribbean region is anticipated to increase by 40%," said Michael Bayley, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean. "We are excited to partner with the government of Saint Lucia to ensure that the destination directly benefits from that growth, while giving more guests the opportunity to visit this unique gem in the Caribbean."
The development will allow cruise ships to stop at the south of Saint Lucia for the first time. “This signing is historic, as this project will have a major impact on the sustainability of the cruise sector and the reach of cruise tourism to the south of the island,” said Prime Minister of Saint Lucia Allen Chastanet. “We look forward to this partnership as this marks a new day and a significant achievement for our government, for the people of the south of Saint Lucia and for our island as a whole.”