by Brian Major
Last updated: 6:00 AM ET, Wed March 20, 2024
The Caribbean’s cruise boom is real. Traditionally the
cruise industry’s primary deployment region, destinations across the Caribbean posted
record cruise totals in 2023 and are driving toward a best-ever year in 2024.
Caribbean countries received an estimated 31.1 million
cruise visits in 2023, an increase of 11.3 million visits or 56.8 percent
compared to 2019, Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) officials said this past
week. The figures represent cruise arrivals at destinations throughout the
region, said CTO.
The 2023 cruise visit total established a new record for
the Caribbean cruise sector, surpassing the previous record of 2019 by 2.4 percent,
officials said. The increases were driven by “pent-up demand and the resumption
of operations” following the segment’s extensive pandemic shutdowns.
The cruise segment is also benefitting from “improvements
in cruise infrastructure [including] larger ships, enhanced facilities,
itineraries and shore excursions.”
CTO officials forecast Caribbean ports will welcome between
34.2 million and 35.8 million cruise visits 2024, an increase of 10 percent to 15
percent over 2023.
Tourism officials in destinations across the Caribbean
confirmed the strong arrival numbers. “We
are exceeding all pre-pandemic levels across the board in all of our
destinations by air and by sea,” said Chester Cooper, minister of tourism for The Bahamas, in an
interview with TravelPulse earlier this year.
Cooper said 5.6 million
cruise passengers projected to pass through Nassau Cruise Port in 2024, exceeding
the 5.4 million the port hosted in pre-pandemic 2019. “We are about 40 percent
higher on cruise passengers at the Nassau cruise port,” Cooper said.
“Many of those
who arrive by cruise are wanting more of the islands of The Bahamas and are
returning by air,” added Cooper. “We are working on a conversion strategy to
cause this number to increase even further.”
Other Caribbean
ports posted strong 2023 cruise arrivals. British Virgin Islands Ports
Authority (BVIPA) officials said the territory hosted 720,392 cruise ship visitors
in 2023, a 110 percent increase over the 343, 571 visitors hosted in 2022.
The 2023 total “also surpasses the highest recorded
arrivals of 2016 at 699,105,” according to BVIPA officials. “Our facilities,
dedicated team and industry relationships have played a pivotal role in
accommodating the increased traffic,” said Akeem A. Pickering, BVIPA’s managing
director.
In Barbados, government officials say 392 cruise calls carrying
715,527 passengers are confirmed for the 2024 winter season. The figures represent
an 18 percent increase compared with the 358 calls and 608,583 passengers hosted
in 2023.
Overall, Barbados’ 2024 cruise passenger arrivals are poised to exceed its 2023
numbers, with 826,338 passengers expected to arrive at the country’s Bridgetown
port this year, arriving on 338 calls. Last winter, Barbados hosted 661,635
passengers arriving on 373 calls, said Ian Gooding-Edghill.
Additionally, the Turks and Caicos hosted 677,943 cruise visitors
between January and October, a 30.5 percent increase over the 519,418 passengers
hosted during the same period in 2022.
In 2023, Curaçao hosted 289 cruise ships with an occupancy
rate of 86 percent, said Curaçao Ports Authority (CPA) officials quoted in a Curaçao
Chronicle article.
CPA anticipates 300 cruise calls with an average occupancy
of 90 percent in 2024, resulting in 800,000 cruise passengers this year, a 13
percent increase over 2023 totals.
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