Participants discussed further development of their partnership.
BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS – On the heels of a record-setting 2017-2018 cruise season, Prime Minister of St. Kitts & Nevis the Hon. Dr. Timothy Harris in conjunction with Minister of Tourism The Hon. Lindsay F.P. Grantmet with top executives from Carnival Corporation & plc to discuss further development of the partnership between the destination and the cruise line.
"It is a testament to the excellent relationship between Carnival and the St. Kitts Ministry of Tourism together with the St. Kitts Tourism Authority that their highest level executives have taken the time out of their busy schedules to meet with us here on island," said Minister Grant. "With the Carnival Fascination being the only vessel to make year-round calls to St Kitts, our partnership with Carnival is one of the key drivers behind our exceeding the million cruise passenger arrivals mark in the 2017-2018 season. We are grateful for Carnival's contributions to the development of our cruise sector and we will continue working together closely moving forward."
The Prime Minister and Minister Grant welcomed President of Carnival Corporation & plc, Arnold Donald; Sr. Vice President of Global Port and Destination Development, Giora Israel; Vice President of Global Port and Destination Development, Stefano Borzone; Vice President of Port and Destination Development Operations, David Candib; Vice President of Marine, Karl Austin, and Vice President of Global Ports and Caribbean Government Relations, Marie McKenzie.
"St. Kitts is a beautiful island with warm welcoming people and many unique attractions for our guests," said Arnold Donald, CEO of Carnival Corporation & plc. "It is a significant milestone for St. Kitts to reach one million guests as part of another record-setting cruise season."
Led by the Prime Minister and Minister Grant, the St. Kitts delegation consisted of Cabinet Secretary, Josephine Huggins; Chairman of the Board of Directors of the St. Kitts Tourism Authority, Nicholas Menon; and the St. Kitts Tourism Authority Product Development Manager, Melnecia Marshall. They spoke with the Carnival team about progress being made on the construction of the second cruise pier at Port Zante, transportation sector standards, public infrastructure development and the identification of clear growth strategies and product enhancement plans to maintain the destination's strong appeal to the cruise market. Future itineraries that include the destination as a port of call from Carnival Corporation were also discussed.
On July 16, 2018, St. Kitts exceeded one million cruise passenger arrivals for the first time in its history, the only destination in the OECS to do so in the 2017-2018 season. Having reached this millionth passenger arrivals milestone, St. Kitts is now considered by the cruise lines to be in the same marquee port status category as much larger destinations in the region.
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