By
Rebecca Gibson |
Government and private industry representatives from Puerto Rico, St. Maarten, the US Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands and Dominica are working with the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) and its member lines to drive future cruise growth in the East Caribbean region following the autumn 2017 hurricane season.
The destination representatives attended the FCCA Operations Committee Meeting on 19 April to meet with high-level executives from FCCA Member Lines, including Norwegian Cruise Lines Holdings, Carnival Cruise Line, MSC Cruises USA and Disney Cruise Line.
During the meeting, destination representatives thanked the FCCA and its Member Lines for their assistance in the immediate aftermath of the hurricanes. They also outlined the steps they have taken to restore the islands, cruise ports and other attractions, highlighting that they have already welcomed tens of thousands of cruise passengers per day since the hurricanes.
In addition, executives from the destinations and Member Lines discussed plans for future hurricane seasons, including establishing a network of destinations to facilitate the transfer of necessary goods and creating a process to identify needs for individual destinations for both relief and an ongoing basis. Other discussions focused opportunities for improving the islands’ tourism offerings.
Cruise executives also suggested holding similar meetings with destination stakeholders every quarter with the FCCA Operations Committee.
"Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings has been bringing cruise passengers to the Caribbean for over 50 years,” said Frank Del Rio, president and CEO of Norwegian Cruise Lines Holdings. “Our belief in the region, and our commitment to its continued growth, is stronger today than it has ever been, so it was a delight to be able to meet today with government and tourism officials from throughout the Caribbean to work together on charting the best course forward for the Caribbean. I want to also extend my sincere thanks to the FCCA for facilitating the meeting, and for its invaluable role in building relationships between the cruise line companies and the destinations in the Caribbean.”