US Virgin Islands Tourism Officials Plot Port Improvements

The U.S. Virgin Islands is a cruise-passenger favorite, hosting 1,776,685 seagoing visitors in 2016 (the most recent year for which official annual data is available). Yet, while that total is third-highest among all Caribbean destinations, it also represents a 5.4 percent decline from 2015.

Indeed, earlier this year Beverly Nicolson-Doty, the U.S. V.I. tourism commissioner, said she expected 2017 cruise arrivals to total 1.5 million—another decline (the season runs from October to October, Nicholson-Doty said).

While the devastating September hurricanes unquestionably impacted this year’s arrivals, U.S.V.I. government and tourism officials have nevertheless engaged in intense consultation with major cruise industry organizations over the past three years to improve travelers’ in-port experience and enlarge Nassau harbor to accommodate the largest cruise ships.

This past week, officials at the U.S. Virgin Islands Port Authority (VIPA) completed a quarterly update with the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA)’s operations committee in Miami, briefing cruise executives on port infrastructure and visitor service improvements including the launch of ferry-based transportation in Charlotte Amalie Harbor in St. Thomas this year.

The Government of the U.S. Virgin Islands' Department of Property and Procurement last May issued a request for proposals (RFP) for an operator to provide transportation services in the harbor. Bidders were are asked to submit proposals to provide water-based transportation between Crown Bay, Water Island, Havensight/Yacht Haven Grande and Downtown Charlotte Amalie.

The service would offer residents and visitors direct access to the Downtown Charlotte Amalie area on days when cruise ships arrive in the harbor.

U.S. V.I. government officials last week outlined progress on implementing Charlotte Amalie Harbor transportation and also discussed the proposed dredging of the harbor, its adjacent channel and the West Indian Company Ltd. (WICO)’s cruise berth to accommodate Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.’s Oasis-class vessels, the industry’s largest ships.

In addition to Nicholson-Doty the U.S.V.I. officials included Nelson Petty, commissioner of public works; David Mapp, VIPA’s executive director of the Virgin Islands Port Authority (VIPA); Damian Cartwright, assistant executive director and director of engineering and Clifford Graham, WICO’s CEO.

FCCA and U.S.V.I. representatives also discussed a “dredging design” for the Crown Bay cruise ship dock in Charlotte Amalie, a new mooring dolphin to accommodate Royal Caribbean’s Quantum-class vessels on the north berth were discussed, along with plans for a dredging project in St. Croix’ Christiansted harbor.

The stakeholders also presented cruise executives with a “revised concept” for new cruise ship berths in Charlotte Amalie, while Nicholson-Doty outlined the Department's updated crisis communications preparedness plan and a new “voluntourism” program.

FC CA officials praised the “honest and frank discussions," according to a statement. "One of the big things that we've been pushing as an industry, and the Territory has agreed that it was important, was this whole issue of water transportation to add another element to what is the beauty of the USVI," said Carlos Torres de Navarra, chairman of FCCA’s operations committee and vice president of commercial port operations at Carnival Cruise Lines.

"So, we (are) really happy to hear that potentially, we're looking at a fourth quarter installation start of those operations,” Torres de Navarra. “It's just one more thing that's going to make the U.S.V.I. great."

Nicholson-Doty added she expects the U.S.V.I.’s cruise passenger totals will rebound over the longer term. “Considering we missed 60 days, we will finish the year slightly lower,” she said. “But our cruise calls are back on schedule and we have the restaurants, activities and shopping back.”