April 18, 2007, BASSETERRE, St Kitts (CUOPM):  The St Kitts and Nevis government says cruise arrival will increase by over 70 percent next year.
 

“This increase is largely due to the addition of the 2,642-passenger Carnival Destiny to the island’s cruise ship roster, which will be the first cruise ship to call at St. Kitts on a weekly year-round basis,” the St Kitts Tourism Authority said in a statement.

It quotes Minister of State in the Ministry of Tourism, Sports and Culture, Sen. Richard “Ricky” Skerritt as saying that the dramatic increase will see cruise ship passenger arrivals approaching the 400,000 mark.

According to the Authority, the Carnival Destiny, will bring 130,000 passengers next year to St Kitts, beginning with its first call on January 10, 2008. The Destiny, along with the Carnival Victory, is no stranger to Port Zante, having made special visits to St Kitts previously.

“The ship will spend a full day in port, allowing passengers the maximum amount of time to explore St. Kitts’ natural beauty, numerous attractions and variety of activities,” said the statement.

“We are approaching the 400,000 annual passenger milestone in the growth of St Kitts’ cruise tourism industry,” stated Skerritt, who was of the view that increasing the number of passenger arrivals is not the Federation’s biggest concern.

“We are more concerned about seasonality, sustainability and the quality of visitor experience and visitor expenditure,” said Skerritt.

He said that the year round arrival of the Carnival Destiny will make a major difference to all of these concerns, and is a development which highlights the emergence of St. Kitts as a world-class destination with unique cultural and recreational experiences that are sought after by today’s discerning travelers.

The Carnival Destiny’s sister ship, the Carnival Legend made five calls to St. Kitts during the 2006/2007 cruise ship season.