Port Management has Positive Meeting with Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines

~ St. Maarten key to cruise line’s deployment strategies ~

PORT ST. MAARTEN – Port St. Maarten Management has had positive discussions with Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (RCL) with respect to future itinerary calls to the destination. The one-on-one meeting took place with the cruise company’s executives, Federico Gonzalez-Denton, Vice President Destination Development, Latin America & Caribbean and Russell Benford, Vice President Government Relations, Americas.

These one-on-one discussions took place on Thursday at the Caribbean’s largest and only official Cruise Conference and Trade Show in the region, the 26th Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA), which is taking place from October 21 to 25 in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

“There will be a drop-in cruise calls as well as passengers in 2020 from Royal Caribbean who is our largest cruise partner. This has to do with the cruise line’s deployment adjustments to other regions in the world as a normal course of business which happens from time to time.

“Royal Caribbean representatives highlighted the importance of destination St. Maarten and that the island has all the key ingredients that their customers are looking for. They also reiterated the destination’s top benchmarks where guests’ experiences are concerned,” Port St. Maarten Management said over the weekend.

Royal Caribbean Executives stated on Thursday: “We reiterated our strong partnership with Port St. Maarten in our discussions this morning, and we are looking forward to adding additional vessels to the destination over the mid-to long-term. We continue to introduce a new era of cruising and Port St. Maarten is part of that.

“Royal Caribbean is known for its innovation and constantly pushes the boundaries of what’s possible as we redefine the ultimate vacation. St. Maarten will continue to be part of our ship deployment strategies especially being a key partner in the North Eastern Caribbean.”

Also present during the meeting with Royal Caribbean reps was Minister of Tourism & Economic Affairs Stuart Johnson and Mico Cascais, Port Consultant, Principal at Mico Cascais Inc. and members of the Port St. Maarten Supervisory Board of Directors.

“The meeting with Royal Caribbean Executives went very well as RCL has a longstanding bond with our country. We can have confidence in the future and look forward to more ship calls as the cruise line plans to deploy additional vessels to the destination over the long-term. They are fully aware of the magical experience that the destination offers and are committed to the island,” Minister of Tourism & Economic Affairs Stuart Johnson said over the weekend.

Johnson added, “The need for expansion of Pier 2, an enhanced Port experience and improved destination excursion options is of paramount importance to our country’s overall vision. I remain committed to seeing this through for the sole benefit of our people and our country.”

“The Royal Caribbean Executives were informed about the ports plans for the extension of Pier 2 which would increase berthing space. They were very pleased to hear about this and are looking forward to adding more vessels over the long-term.

“The future looks bright for the destination especially when we look at the new vessels that will be constructed in the next six to 10-years. There will be between 60-100 new cruise ships built. The Caribbean is the largest region in the world catering to over one third of the cruise business with on average 89 berths.

“The region generates more than 50 per cent of cruise line revenues. With such a stake in world cruise tourism, the industry cannot do without the region and St. Maarten as a mecca for the cruise industry. We are looking forward with confidence as we make critical infrastructural investments that will be able to accommodate the additional cruise capacity that will be setting sail in the not too distant future,” Port St. Maarten Management said over the weekend.

Royal Caribbean has been delivering innovation at sea for more than 50 years. Each successive class of ships is an architectural marvel featuring the latest technology and guest experiences for today’s adventurous traveler. The cruise line continues to revolutionize vacations with itineraries to more than 270 destinations in 72 countries on six continents.

The cruise conference and trade show offer participants a series of meetings, workshops, networking opportunities and more with 100 high-level executives from FCCA Member Lines, which operate about 200 vessels and 95 percent of the global ocean cruising capacity.

Created in 1972, the FCCA is a not-for-profit trade organization that provides a forum for discussion on tourism development, ports, safety, security, and other cruise industry issue and builds bilateral relationships with destinations’ private and public sectors.

The FCCA Conference is a five-day event designed to create a better understanding of the inner workings of the cruise industry and help attendees improve their cruise tourism business.

PHOTO CUTLINE: The meeting between Port St. Maarten Management and Supervisory Board of Directors, Minister of Tourism & Economic Affairs Stuart Johnson (seated at the head of the table) with Royal Caribbean officials on Thursday at the FCCA in San Juan, Puerto Rico.