ANTIGUA & BARBUDA TOURISM AUTHORITY

Antigua and Barbuda’s Delegation, pictured with Michele M. Paige FCCA President and Micky Arison, FCCA Executive Committee Chairman and Chairman of Carnival Corporation, announce best cruise season since 2010, following attendance at 22nd Annual FCCA Cruise Convention in Cozumel. 

Antigua and Barbuda continues to make significant gains in its efforts to attract more cruise ship calls and passengers to the destination. Tourism officials have set their sights on increasing the destination’s presence by strategically making the case for more business, to the cruise industry’s itinerary planners.

At the 22nd Annual FCCA Cruise Convention which wraps up in Cozumel on Friday October 9, presentations were made by the Antigua and Barbuda tourism officials showcasing the plans for developing the St John’s Harbour.  These plans include the extension of the piers to accommodate the larger vessels, along with the construction of an additional pier to enable up to six (6) ships to be berthed simultaneously. The development also comes with the added benefits of new high-end shopping and facilities such as a cruise passenger terminal to position the destination to take advantage of home porting opportunities.

Antigua and Barbuda is actively pursuing opportunities to be a home port with several European-based cruise lines, in an effort to diversify its cruise ship offerings. With the country’s new international airport capable of handling up to 2 million passengers a year, the enhanced port facilities would see the destination poised to become a home port where cruise ships can start and end their itineraries in Antigua.

Following a meeting with Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL), Antigua will see cruise calls grow from just single digits last season, to 15 calls for the last quarter of 2015 and 13 calls in 2016. The destination, has also now secured calls from the Norwegian Breakaway, which is NCL’s second largest cruise ship. She will be making an inaugural call to Antigua on January 13 2016 with 4,500 passengers.  This newest inaugural call means the destination is expecting at least five new inaugurals so far, from various cruise lines that will be bringing thousands of passengers for the upcoming season.

Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines (RCCL) will see the return of the Azamara to Antigua and Barbuda after an absence of five years. Antigua and Barbuda will have the best cruise season ever for 2015/16 from RCCL, with passenger arrivals hitting a record at 216,314. This is an increase of 18% from 183,748 passengers in 2014. RCCL will be delivering a total of 83 calls for the upcoming season with larger ships calling at our port. The destination continues to score above the regional average, in appeal and customer satisfaction with RCCL customers, which is a positive trend that helps to secure additional ship calls.

The signature cruise marketing allowed Antigua and Barbuda to present a renewed focus on the country’s brand and image with a vibrant booth, which was the talk of the tradeshow and was the most prominent display among the English-speaking Caribbean countries.

The FCCA’s Annual Convention has again yielded more cruise business for the country in direct support of the Government’s vision to put the cruise industry firmly on the front burner. The recent port upgrades and planned investment in the industry will all contribute towards transforming the economy and yielding tangible results to the thousands of stakeholders who depend on the cruise industry for their livelihood.