By YOURI KEMP
Tribune Business Reporter
ykemp@tribunemedia.net
A Cabinet minister yesterday said Nassau berthing requests from cruise ships have increased by “double digits” for the last six months of 2021 compared to pre-pandemic figures.
Dionisio D’Aguilar, minister for tourism and aviation, speaking outside the Cabinet Office, said the industry’s berthing requests for this year’s second half - a period during which it hopes to resume sailing to The Bahamas from its south Florida home ports - are significantly ahead of stops recorded prior to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019.
Mr D’Aguilar said: “We looked at two periods for the last six months of 2021, and we compared that to our busiest year, which was 2019. Right now, the birthing requests for the last six months of this year are up double digits between 15 percent and 20 percent.”
Nassau Cruise Port has received 810 berth requests, an increase of 128 ships, or 20 percent over 2019’s second half figures. The minister also previously told Tribune Business that berthing requests for 2022 “are up 8-9 percent compared to the whole of 2019”, something he says shows pent-up cruise industry demand for The Bahamas as well as justifying the $250m port redevelopment.
There is no fixed date yet, though, for when cruise ships will return to The Bahamas from south Florida because the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has “not made a determination” on when the industry can sail.
Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines and Crystal Cruises are due to begin sailing on June 12 and July 3, respectively, from their new Nassau home port. Encouraged by “good news” on future cruise ship activity, Mr D’Aguilar said: “The Bahamas is going to be the destination that cruise companies will want to come.”
He added that Royal Caribbean and Crystal Cruises were “anxious” to become operational again, and reaffirmed that Family Islands will not be selected as cruise stop-off destinations if the industry is not wanted.
Mr D’Aguilar said: “I met with all of the hotel owners specifically from Harbour Island, where they put forward their view that Harbour Island should not be considered the destination to receive cruise passengers.
“They made a lot of valid points. They made a strong argument. It’s now up to me to get my team to take that information, digest it and see how we can work with the cruise company to seek out and find alternative destinations to offer them.”
Mr D’Aguilar said arrivals during the Spring Break are seeing an “increase”, especially for the months of March and April. He added: “As we’ve always said we expect the numbers to slowly increase through this year as more and more people get vaccinated in the US.”
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