St. Kitts Expects to Post Higher Cruise Arrival Numbers

St. Kitts Expects to Post Higher Cruise Arrival Numbers

St. Kitts cruise visitor arrivals are expected to increase by more than 20 percent in the upcoming October 2011-September 2012 cruise ship season, according to Ricky Skerritt, minister of tourism and international transport, at an event to unveil the island’s 2011-2012 cruise ship schedule.

“Based on the bookings we have so far, we have projected that more than 650,000 cruise passengers will arrive to St. Kitts by September 2012,” said Skerritt. The totals reflect a fifth consecutive year of cruise passenger growth, he added.

St. Kitts passed the half-million passenger arrival mark for the first time in the 2009-2010 season. Two cruise ships now make year-round calls at the island’s Port Zante, bringing an estimated 88,000 passengers to St. Kitts during the “low” season. Year round calls first began in St. Kitts in 2008. Skerritt added that plans for additional onshore attractions and a second cruise pier at Port Zante “are expected to continue to fuel the development of cruise tourism” in St. Kitts.