Independence Day in Barbados will take on added colour when 15 000 cruise ship passengers sail into the Bridgetown Port, signalling a bumper 2014 cruise tourism season.
Several megaships and smaller upscale lines are booked to dock at the port over the next five months, and chief executive officer of Foster and Ince Cruises, Martin Ince, told the MIDWEEK NATION that based on his company’s bookings, “there are very few days through to April that there will not be a cruise ship in the Bridgetown Port”.
“It is a wonderful position for Barbados to be in. It keeps the cruise industry’s wheels of commerce turning,” Ince said.
He disclosed that November 30 would be “the biggest day for the season”, with five ships in port, 15 000 passengers and between 4 500 and 5 000 crew.
This rosy picture was endorsed by Minister of Tourism Richard Sealy, who on Sunday projected that an estimated 700 000 cruise passengers would pass through the Bridgetown Port for the 2014 calendar year. He said that figure should increase by another 100 000 in 2015, which is shaping up to be Barbados’ best cruise season in history.
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