Barbados Cruise Town Hall Bringing Together Stakeholders and Regional Industry Experts
The Barbados cruise industry will receive a major fillip on Thursday when the heads of some of the world’s major cruise lines – Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, Disney Cruise Line and Carnival Cruise Lines – gather at the Hilton Barbados Resort with local stakeholders for a historic town hall meeting.
Just under one hundred local cruise industry participants from the public and private sectors will meet with a high-powered delegation led by president of the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA), Michele Paige.
This is the first forum of its kind to be held in Barbados.
Local attendees at the two-and-a-half hour session will encompass a broad base of sectors including hotels, attractions, manufacturing, dining, car hire and transportation, water sports, recreational and competitive sports, tour providers – both traditional and non-traditional, as well as arts and crafts and retail.
The initiative is being led by the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. (BTMI) and the Barbados Tourism Product Authority (BTPA), and host of the event, Senator Irene Sandiford-Garner, Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism and International Transport, commended the team for its efforts, stating that “Cooperation among stakeholders – both public and private – is necessary to ensure all parties involved are working towards the same goal. The involvement of the FCCA with their specific knowledge of the regional cruise industry, will hopefully result in the formulation of informed tactics as we seek to leverage synergies within the sector to preserve the success of Barbados cruise tourism.”
Cruise Director of the BTMI, Cheryl Franklin, said that she is particularly enthusiastic about the implications of the meeting. “The primary purpose of the town hall is to motivate all stakeholders – large and small, existing and prospective – to improve the destination cruise offering and visitor experience in Barbados, in order to increase visitor spend and foreign exchange earnings for the benefit of all Barbadians.”
The morning session will open with a global cruise industry overview including Barbados’ current position in the industry by Paige, who has over three decades’ cruise experience, including 25 years at the FCCA. Barbados is a platinum member of the FCCA, which is the regional industry leader in cruise tourism assessment and development. Paige’s address will be closely followed by a cruise line overview featuring representatives of the island’s chief cruise partners in attendance.
Synergies crucial for sustained growth
Globally, the cruise industry has grown at a rapid rate of 33% over the last seven years and the Caribbean has retained its dominant leading position in terms of global market share. Cruise is emerging as the most popular choice of travel for Generation X and Millennials, which has also contributing to the overall expansion. Barbados is seeking to capitalize on these growth trends.
According to the Barbados Statistical Service, 2017 first quarter growth for cruise was up 18.1% from the same period last year. Between January and March 2017, the Bridgetown Port welcomed a total of 301,114 passengers across 228 cruise vessels – 29 more vessels than 2016.
Commenting on the statistics, Franklin echoed Sandiford-Garner’s call for stronger relationships within the local cruise industry. “While we have been enjoying steady growth in terms of cruise arrival numbers, there still exist numerous opportunities for us to further grow and refine the Barbados cruise product; that’s why we are seeking to engage our broader private stakeholders, because we believe that they hold the key to strengthening our weaker areas.”
She added that the town hall comes at a pivotal time within an increasingly competitive and fast-growing industry. “One of the leading objectives of the meeting is to reinforce the implication of Barbados’ marquee port status and its importance for retention and development of new business in the future. The high level of demand which is synonymous with marquee status must be actualized in port by not only delivering on visitor expectations, but exceeding them. We therefore hope to use this meeting as a platform for sharing and discussing what this means for all parties involved in the local cruise industry and how we can work together to achieve this goal.”
