The Caribbean represents one-third of all the destinations the cruise industry covers, yet generates almost half of the revenue it makes on an annual basis, and these numbers are expected to grow over the next few years as the industry prepares to launch at least 100 more new vessels.
Therefore, given the importance of the sector to the Caribbean, Prime Minister Mia Mottley believes the entire region must work to foster stronger ties with the industry to sustain our economies.
Speaking at the opening of the 26th annual Florida Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) Convention and Trade Show in Puerto Rico, the Prime Minister said: “With all the challenges our region faces from climate change, and the inability to borrow funds from international lending agencies to rebuild our damaged infrastructure in the wake of the hurricanes over the last two years, we are pleased that players in the cruise industry have come on board to help us in terms of port development. This is a significant departure from the past.”
Citing an example, she noted that Prime Minister of St Lucia, Allan Chastanet, had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Carnival Cruise Lines and Royal Caribbean to build out cruise facilities in that country, and she said Barbados and the Cayman Islands were holding similar discussions.
Regarding climate change, Mottley expressed her concerns about the future of the region from that perspective, noting that, “I saw a slide last year at the United Nations which will forever haunt me. It recognised that the first countries to suffer from a three degree shift in sea temperatures will be the Arctic and Antarctic summer sheets, Greenland and the coral islands found around the world in the Caribbean, Pacific and other oceans. The Caribbean must remain a sea that is literally capable of protecting our islands and feeding our people. Sea level rise and ocean warming has been damaging our coastal communities, and many of our economies are coastal. Regrettably, the global community has not recognised this is the most important battle and there are some countries that may or may not survive the next 50 to 100 years.”
Therefore, given this situation, she believed leaders from the English, French, Spanish and Dutch-speaking Caribbean should come together to plan the region’s future, a dialogue she is willing to commence.
“Barbados is chairing the Association of Caribbean States, and will be taking up the chairmanship of CARICOM in January. We are prepared to host a meeting between owners and leaders of the cruise industry and leaders from across the entire Caribbean, all of the states that are touching the Caribbean Sea, as we have to ask ourselves whether we can allow things to continue as they are, or plan for any contingencies that may arise decades from now. Once we get this process right, future generations will be able to thank us for planning ahead.”
The Prime Minister also mentioned pollution and overfishing as other elements the Caribbean must examine. She also stated that it was important for the Caribbean to remain a “zone of peace” in the world where people could come and enjoy themselves without fear of being involved in conflicts between countries.
