All Aboard for Antigua & Barbuda
The latest in Caribbean travel news indicates that Antigua and Barbuda may see growth in the overall number of cruise ship calls during the winter season with an increase from 311 ship calls to 330 ship calls (approximately 6%) for the season 2015/2016.
The announcement followed Antigua and Barbuda’s participation at Seatrade Europe, which is the largest gathering of Cruise Tourism Officials in Europe.
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| St. John's, the capital and major sea port in Antigua. Photo by today.com |
Antigua, which is the main island governing Barbuda as well as smaller isles including Great Bird, Guiana, Long Island, Maiden Island, York and Redonda, already has a strong tourism sector but has been hindered in the cruise industry due to concerns about the depth of its port that have now been resolved.
CEO of the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority, Colin C. James said, “News of the latest inaugurals for the 2015/2016 season, will be welcomed by all local cruise stakeholders such as vendors, taxi-drivers, store owners and Tour & Excursion operator’s who depend on the cruise industry for their livelihoods.”
Back-to-back meetings were conducted with European Cruise Executives from 12 companies. This included larger operators such as Carnival Maritime, a new company that operates Costa and Aida cruises, as well as smaller cruise lines such as Sea Cloud and Star Clippers Cruises.
President of the Antigua and Barbuda Cruise Association, Nathan Dundas commented, "This upcoming season sees a large number of inaugural calls from new ships visiting the destination for the first time. This is a clear endorsement of our country’s cruise industry by our partners as we continue to support their business and provide innovative experiences to their guests”.
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| An aerial view of English Harbour, one of the most popular docking areas from yachts and private charters in Antigua. Photo by charterworld.com |
Cruise directors that have already jumped on board the inclusion of Antigua on their cruise itineraries for the Caribbean.
Kay-Uwe Maross, Carnival Maritime’s Director of Itinerary Planning and Port Operations, already confirmed in a meeting with the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Officials that two new ships AIDAMar and the Costa Favolosa will make their inaugural calls to Antigua for the upcoming season.
After an absence last winter, TUI Cruises will be returning to make 11 port calls with a new and larger Mein Schiff 3. It's first landing is scheduled for November 11th with 2,500 passengers.
Carnival-UK’s new vessel, Britannia will make its inaugural call on November 17th and will make 12 calls with a two week turn-around carrying approximately 3,600 passengers.
The 2015/2016 winter travel season will also see another first for the 'Land of 365 Beaches' with the inaugural call of Viking Cruise Lines, which would be making its first venture into the Caribbean cruise market. The first of 4 calls is proposed for early 2016 with 930 passengers who may benefit from extended hours in port and a late sailing time from St John’s.
Antigua and Barbuda partnered with a group of 13 Caribbean destinations who combined their efforts to put on a joint “Caribbean Village” display at the event.
With Antigua already touted as the capital of boating and yachting in the Caribbean, especially its very popular English Harbour, to have major cruise lines now endorsing the island as a travel destination we can expect more persons to fly to its shores for extended stays after just a taste of what Antigua has to offer in terms of accommodations, dining options, fun activities and numerous shopping centres.
Visit our website for useful information to plan your vacation in Antigua & Barbuda.
Look out for more on the blog about the Caribbean.
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