ST JOHN’S – President of the Antigua and Barbuda Cruise Tourism Association (ABCTA), Nathan Dundas, says the island could lose a significant amount of money as a result of the decision of the Florida-based Carnival Cruise Lines to cancel several schedule calls.
Dundas said that the cruise line did not give a reason for the cancellation adding “so all four ships booked commencing next season November 2019 to 2020 – Breeze, Magic, Legend and Pride will be going to other ports.
“I am afraid that we may see more cancellations and it is indeed cause for concern as these cancellations will impact everyone business from store owners to tour operators and bars and restaurants etc.”
The ships were expected to bring in an estimated 250 000 tourists to the island.
He said that once Carnival has started the cancelation, unfortunately, I expect to see cancellations from all of its brands.
“I wouldn’t be surprised to see Princess, Holland America, Seabourn and other European Lines making cancellations going forward,” he said.
Last month, the Antigua and Barbuda government defended its decision to enter into a multi–million dollar agreement with the London-based Global Ports Holdings (GPH) for the development of the cruise port in the capital.
Prime Minister Gaston Browne said that the US$83 million agreement with GPH would change the landscape of the island.
The GPH, established in 2004, GPH promotes itself on its website as the world’s largest cruise port operator with an established presence in the Caribbean, Mediterranean, Asia-Pacific regions, including extensive commercial port operations in Turkey and Montenegro. (CMC)
