Trinidad & Tobago Keen on Becoming Big-Time Cruise Destination

Trinidad and Tobago’s Minister of Tourism Randall Mitchell engaged in face-to-face discussions with executives of all the major cruise lines while attending the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association Conference and Trade Show held in Puerto Rico earlier this month.

More than 100 cruise executives attended along with more than 30 regional government officials. Attendees included Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, St. Lucia Prime Minister Allen Chastanet, Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló and several regional ministers of tourism.

The executives attending are the key decision makers in the cruise industry and decide where ships call, what is sold and used on board and they influence investment in destinations and infrastructure, according to a press release from the Barbados government.

“The cruise sector is one in which ship itineraries are often booked long in advance, so attending conferences like these and understanding what the decision-makers value is essential not just for short-term gains, but to lay the groundwork for sustainable, consistent growth in arrivals,” said Mitchell.

The cruise industry is the fastest growing segment of the worldwide leisure travel market, with an average passenger growth rate of 7 percent per annum since 1980, according to the release.

The cruise industry, according to the latest study highlighted at the event, indicates that from January to October 2018, Trinidad and Tobago experienced growth in cruise arrivals of 145.3 percent compared to the same period in 2017.

Source: The Virgin Islands Daily News