Cruise Ships Moored at Port Zante
Photo By Erasmus Williams
Basseterre, St. Kitts – Nevis
March 16, 2010 (CUOPM)
The man charged with taking St. Kitts’ tourism industry to higher heights says the further development of onshore attractions and the prospect of a second cruise pier at Port Zante, should provide additional leverage in attracting more cruise arrivals.
Minister of Tourism and International Transport, Sen. the Hon. Richard Skerritt, who is leading the public sector delegation to the 26th Annual Seatrade Cruise Shipping Convention in Miami, Florida said the four-day event provides an important platform for networking and public relations with those key industry executives who can make a difference to the future of St. Kitts’ cruise tourism business, which will pass the half-million passenger mark for the first time this season.
At this year’s show St. Kitts joins numerous other ports-of-call and cruise service providers from the Caribbean and around the world, to showcase the island’s wealth of attractions to the global cruise industry.
Top executives from various cruise lines and organizations, including Carnival Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Silversea Cruises, Holland America, NCL, Seabourn, the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) and Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), among others, are expected to attend the conference.
During the event numerous show attendees are expected to visit the St. Kitts booth where representatives of the St. Kitts Tourism Authority will provide a first-hand experience of true Kittitian hospitality, offering useful information and answering any questions asked about the island and what it can offer cruise passengers.
Participants will also be attending various seminars, workshops and roundtable discussions covering the state of the industry and related issues, including how destinations can best work with the cruise lines to create improved vacation experiences for cruise passengers, and greater economic impact for cruise destinations.
Public sector officials from St. Kitts attending the event are Ministry Advisor, Mr. Cedric Liburd; Chairman of the Board of Directors for the St. Kitts Tourism Authority (SKTA) ““ Mr. Alphonso O’Garro; Chief Financial Officer of the St Christopher Air and Seaports Authority (SCASPA), Mr. Marcellus Phillip; Head of Corporate Affairs and Public Communications of SCASPA, Mrs. Delcia Bradley-King; Product Standards Manager of St. Kitts Tourism Authority, Melnecia Marshall and Product Standards Officer, Vincent Branch.
The Seatrade Cruise Shipping Miami Convention is the cruise industry’s leading annual exhibition and conference. Now in its 26th year, the show serves all service sectors involved in the global cruise industry from shipbuilding through suppliers, technology, operations and Ports-of-call. Its annual Miami location is a vital element in the success of the show, as the city is the primary home port and hub of the cruise industry. In 2009, the show attracted over 10,000 attendees and nearly 1,000 exhibiting companies from over 119 countries.