Cruise passengers in Philipsburg.
PHILIPSBURG–St. Maarten received 1,631,537 disembarking passengers from 565 cruise ship calls in 2019, said Port St. Maarten in a press release on Sunday.
According to the port, this is an increase of 2.2 per cent – or 34,436 passengers – compared to 2018 when St. Maarten received 1,597,101 passengers from 490 cruise ship calls.
St. Maarten has received more than 1.5 million cruise passengers in four of the past five years, said Port St. Maarten. In 2017, St. Maarten received 1,237,760 cruise passengers, a decrease probably due to the destruction caused by Hurricane Irma.
“The destination has been maintaining over 1.5 million cruise passengers per annum. Competition within the Caribbean basin has become more dominant within the past two years, besides the growth in cruise lines developing their own destinations. … We [also – Ed.] have new emerging destinations in Asia that are growing very quickly.
“Therefore, it is very important as a destination that we take a holistic approach in moving forward together in 2020. We need everyone to be part of the success.
“The cruise sector does not remain dormant. There are constant changes and trends. More than 66 per cent of Generation X and 71 per cent of Millennials have a more positive attitude about cruising compared to two years ago. Cruise lines are also responding to a shift in passenger demographics by offering studio cabins and single-friendly activities.
“We need to seriously look at the changing trends and see how we, as stakeholders who are dependent on the country’s cruise sector, can further enhance our cruise passenger destination experience. These must be authentic, appealing, exciting, interesting and memorable.
“It is essential that destination visitor appeal is maintained by our partners, stakeholders and the population at large, in order to continue the success of cruise tourism.
“According to CLIA [Cruise Line International Association], Generation Z is set to become the largest consumer generation by 2020 – outpacing even Millennials. This generation, like the one before, prefers experiences over material items and is seeking out travel.
“Being hospitable to our guests and always displaying that ‘Friendly Island’ smile that they have become accustomed to will continue to move cruise tourism and the destination forward, but we now have to further enhance and offer much more authentic experiences and this can only be accomplished by working together,” said Port St. Maarten on Sunday.
According to CLIA, the number of tourists who will take a cruise in 2020 is forecast to grow to 32 million. The Caribbean remains the largest region deployed by cruise lines, holding 32 per cent of the global market.
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/93753-st-maarten-saw-1-6-million-cruise-passengers-in-2019
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