Barbados is maintaining its prime position in the cruise market with the second highest number of calls in the Eastern Caribbean for the upcoming winter season, but it will have to fight harder to attract more ships for the summer period.
Statistics provided by chairman of the Caribbean Shipping Association Cruise Committee, Nathan Dundas, showed that Barbados would have 373 calls for the October to April period, with St Maarten being the only destination to expect more – 603.
Chief executive officer of Foster and Ince Cruise Services Inc., Martin Ince, told the SUNDAY SUN the figures were encouraging news for the sector, adding that the prospects for the future also looked good with an anticipated 780 000 cruise ship arrivals for the October 2013 to October 2014 period.
However, he said the summer period remained the weakest time of year for the local industry. The good news, though, was that an initiative was in train to turn that situation around.
