New cruise ship arrival jumpstarts an anticipated busy tourist season 2022/23

By Sheria Brathwaite

The hustle and bustle atmosphere of a busy tourist destination returned to the Bridgetown Port today as four cruise ships brought close to 7 000 passengers sailing into the country.

Among the vessels was the Ritz Carlton’s Evrima, which sailed into its first Caribbean country which is also to become its homeport.

During a press briefing at the port on Thursday, Minister of Tourism and International Transport Ian Gooding-Edghill forecast a strong winter season with levels comparable to those of 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This season we have a total of 390 vessel calls scheduled with a passenger total of 700 000. This is a step in the right direction for us . . . Our sailing capacity is expected to reach over 90 per cent and we are optimistic that due to the pent-up demand for travel that these numbers will reach previously expected capacity and growth levels by the time the season officially begins,” he said. 

The minister expects the trickle-down effect to help many people offering services and products to reap significant benefits.

“Today represents one of the busiest days in the port since the start of the sailing calendar for the month of November. We would have had 6 935 passengers here on four vessels- AIDA, Evrima, Voyager of the Seas and Celebrity Millennium.

“The taxi operators are benefiting, we also have those who would have been in the Transport Augmentation Programme, you can see the operators moving around transporting passengers . . . This is a welcomed opportunity not only for the cruise line industry [but for] the Bridgetown Port Inc. the taxi operators, all the other members who provide services and sell services here. I believe we are off to a good start.”

Today’s passengers were welcomed with live entertainment from a band playing soca music.

The minister said Government’s goal was to ensure that tourism and international transport are used strategically as a vehicle for the expansion and further social and economic development of Barbados.

“Today marks the first call of Evrima to Barbados following her transatlantic crossing from Europe. The vessel spent seven days at sea before sailing into the Port of Bridgetown. 

“The tourism and port teams would have collaboratively worked with the Ritz Carlton executive team to plan this momentous visit and we look forward to a long and successful partnership.”

Evrima would be homeporting here with 20 rotations offering itineraries throughout the Southern Caribbean. 

Gooding-Edghill said a successful homeporting model also took into consideration airlift. He said his ministry was working to ensure that the airlift capacity would match the demand for an increase in homeport
business. 

sheriabrathwaite@barbadostoday.bb