By
Rebecca Gibson |
St. Kitts, located in the West Indies, is set to welcome more than one million cruise guests for the first time in the 2014-2105 season.
The prediction representing a 31.5% increase from the number of passengers handled in the 2013-2014 season, and a total growth of more than 500% over the past eight years.
“The fact that we will be welcoming this record number of cruise passengers to St. Kitts is a testament to the high quality of our tourism infrastructure and to the partnerships that our destination has forged with industry stakeholders,” said Senator Ricky Skerritt, St Kitts’ Minister of Tourism and International Transport. “Our performance must be examined against the backdrop of the development of a wealth of onshore activities based on our nature, rich history and friendly people who help provide an authentic Caribbean experience for all of our visitors.”
Significantly boosting passenger number swill be Royal Caribbean International’s newbuild Quantum of the Seas, which is set to make six calls at the island during her inaugural season.
“The Royal Caribbean family would like to express our most sincere and heartfelt congratulations to the people of St. Kitts for reaching one million cruise guests for the first time in their history,” said Federico Gonzalez-Denton, director of government relations for Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises. “Clearly this memorable milestone would not have occurred without the friendly smiles and hard work of the Kittitians themselves, the unique and breathtaking beauty of the island, and the positive cruise initiatives and policies established by the government. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. feels extremely proud of our contribution to this historic achievement.”
Other inaugural visits will include Oceania Cruises’ Insignia and Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Gem and Norwegian Pearl, which together will make seventeen calls. Meanwhile Disney Cruise Line, which last sailed to the island in 2009, has also scheduled four calls for Disney Magic.
AIDA Cruises, Carnival Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, P&O Cruises, Cunard Line, Seabourn, Silversea Cruises, Thomson Cruises, TUI Cruises and Windstar Cruises will also visit St Kitts in 2014-2015.
Passenger source markets have also been expanding, with guests originating from Germany, Italy, France and Spain, as well as the more traditional US and UK markets.