The Royal Clipper Moored Off Nevis
Charlestown, Nevis
February 04, 2010
Premier and Minister of Tourism on Nevis, Hon. Joseph Parry said he welcomed the return of the Royal Clipper cruise ship to Nevis but described as unfortunate the incident which forced the ship to boycott Antigua and instead added Nevis to its bi-weekly schedule.
“The Ministry of Tourism and I welcome the cruise ship to our shores,” he said during an interview with the Department of Information on Wednesday, after the vessel made an unscheduled stop to Nevis.
The Star Clipper was once a scheduled vessel during the island’s cruise season, however its last visit to Nevis was in 2006.
According to Tamika Lawrence, Marketing Officer in the Ministry of Tourism, the Tourism Department had been in negotiations with Star Clipper and the agent (Smith’s Enterprises in St.Kitts) for the cruise ship’s return to Nevis.
The Star Clipper has three ships within its fleet; The Royal Clipper with a capacity of 228 passengers, The Star Clipper-180 passengers and The Star Flyer with a passenger capacity of 170. All three have now been scheduled to call on Nevis during the 2010 / 2011 cruise season.
The Royal Clipper will visit Nevis every other Tuesday until the end of the cruise season when the ship will return to the Mediterranean and will later be re- route to the Caribbean again in November.
With much glee, the Captain indicated that the guests on board the Royal Clipper loved Nevis because of it tranquil nature, rich historical heritage and the island’s Rain Forest.
“One concern that Captain Nadolynsky questioned about Nevis was the safety of the island”, said Assistant Secretary of Tourism, Mr. Carl Williams, who assured him that Nevis was a very peaceful place with friendly and welcoming people.
“We at the Ministry of Tourism are pleading to the people of Nevis to keep the island an upscale destination where guest security is concerned. Any harm done to a cruise passenger or a guest in general, can definitely jeopardize the islands Tourism sector”, remarked Mr. Williams.
Yes MedStud, I am afraid you ar all too correct. The police are afraid to report the “True” crime rates for fear of damaging the tourism trade on Nevis.
I agree with De’ Cruiser. As a medical student at MUA we have already seen a half a dozen robberies/break ins to students’ homes this semester – and we’re only 4 weeks in! (many of which involved students being held at gun point) Unfortunately, many of these incidences get overlooked by local authority in order to keep the [published] crime-rate relatively low.
I agree with the beauty, tranquility, and rich history associated with this amazing island, I just truly hope it doesn’t all go sour due to an exponentially elevating crime level.
The Captain was right to be concerned about the crime on Nevis. The Federation set a record high number of murders last year…three years in a row with new highs, and there were two murders in the first 7 days of the New Year.
Take me back to Saba :)