With Cruise Ship Arrivals To USVI Down 20 To 30 Percent, Mapp, Tourism Officials Head To Seatrade In Florida

Governor Kenneth Mapp will depart the territory Saturday to meet with cruise industry leaders ahead of the annual Seatrade Cruise Global conference, the world’s largest gathering of who’s who in the cruise industry, bringing together cruise line executives, media, speakers, port representatives, ship builders and vendors to discuss most aspects of cruising in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

According to Government House, Lieutenant Governor Osbert Potter will serve as acting governor until Mr. Mapp’s return to the U.S. Virgin Islands on Monday.

During the governor’s visit, he will meet with the leadership of the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association, top executives of several cruise lines, and Virgin Islanders in the South Florida area who he will debrief on the territory’s recovery from Hurricanes Irma and Maria, Government House said.

During a recent Senate hearing, Department of Tourism Commissioner Beverly Nicholson-Doty, revealed bad news relative to cruise ship arrivals to the USVI. According to the commissioner, the combination of two destructive hurricanes and a previously projected decline in cruise ships to the territory, resulted in a drop of up to 30 percent in cruise ship visits to the U.S. Virgin Islands. “The return of the cruise industry within 60 days of the first September storm has been positively received. However, the reality we are facing is that cruise ship traffic has not fully stabilized. Combined with the pre-storm reduction in calls it is anticipated that we will see a 20 to 30 percent year-on-year decrease in cruise arrivals in 2018,” she said.

To keep the drop from deepening, Mrs. Nicholson-Doty said the department will attempt to solidify its relationships with the various cruse lines at Seatrade Global. “While in South Florida we will also host receptions for Virgin Islands tourism ambassadors, travel agents and meeting planners, cruise industry executives, and meet with media personnel,” Mrs. Nicholson-Doty said.

Also attending the important event will be representatives of the Virgin Islands Port Authority, the West Indian Company (WICO) and members of the 32nd Legislature (the release did not reveal the senators who will be traveling to Seatrade, but The Consortium will attempt to find out. At least four senators participated last year).

The Seatrade Cruise Global conference will begin on March 5 and end on the 8th of the same month. The expo will be held from March 6-8. Organizers are expecting 11,000 cruise professionals with ideas and innovations from every aspect of the maritime industry. A description on the event’s website says Seatrade Cruise Global offers various business solutions across different sectors of the cruise industry.

See the full schedule of the 2018 event here.