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| St. Kitts now has two ships making year-round calls to Port Zante. // (c) 2011 St. Kitts Nevis Registry. |
Senator Ricky Skerritt, Minister of Tourism & International Transport, has announced that cruise visitor arrivals to St. Kitts are expected to increase by more than 20 percent in the upcoming October 2011 - September 2012 cruise ship season. This announcement was made at a local cruise stakeholders’ unveiling of the island’s 2011-2012 cruise ship schedule on Tuesday.
Most of the major cruise companies operating in the Caribbean now call at St. Kitts. The lines that are scheduled to make calls to St. Kitts during the 2011-2012 cruise ship season includeCarnival, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Holland America, Norwegian Cruise Line, Princess, P & O, Cunard, Azamara, Seabourn, Silver Sea, Star Clipper, Windstar, Fred Olson, Saga, Thompson and TUI Cruises.
In the 2009-2010 cruise season, St. Kitts passed the half-million passenger arrival mark for the first time in its history. For the past three consecutive years, cruise berth arrivals have exceeded average regional levels. In addition, St. Kitts now has two ships making year-round calls to Port Zante, bringing an estimated 88,000 passengers to St. Kitts in the off-season. Year-round calls first began in St Kitts in 2008. Further development of onshore attractions and the prospect of a second cruise pier at Port Zante are expected to continue to fuel the development of cruise tourism for the island.