The British Virgin Islands (BVI) has enhanced their efforts in the cruise sector and is now set to receive an unexpected boost in passenger arrival for the upcoming 2019/2020 tourist season with the addition of 64,022 passengers.
Starting November 2019 Norwegian Cruise Lines will be adding twelve new BVI calls to their 2019/2020 itinerary, which translates to an estimated 50,000 passenger arrivals for the Territory. As an added bonus Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will also be adding seven new BVI calls to their itinerary which brings an additional 14,022 passengers to the destination.
The BVI team led by the Minister of Tourism, Premier Hon. Andrew A. Fahie has put forth extensive efforts to revitalize the BVI cruise sector by restoring and enhancing the cruise product and strengthening the Territory’s relationship with its cruise partners. Through regular progressive communications over the past few months, the BVI has been working with Disney Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., Carnival Cruise Line, MSC Cruises among others to increase calls to the Territory and to create new and exciting activities for passengers, infused with authentic cultural experiences.
As an important partner for the BVI in the cruise arena, Florida Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) continues to play a key role in the development of the BVI’s cruise product through creating opportunities to extensively market the product to key demographics and providing access to relevant resources.
“The cruise industry is an integral aspect of the current and future economy for the Territory. From our cruise partners’ point of view, the industry represents a significant investment of time and money, through which they strive to see returns on their investments. As such, our government remains focused on building and maintaining strong mutually beneficial relationships with our industry partners, and finding new, innovative ways to enhance the visitor experience, as this way we create value for everyone,” said Premier Fahie.
According to Hon. Fahie, “The most important thing is for past visitors and those who are yet to visit the BVI to know that the Territory is welcoming visitors, and we look forward to welcoming you soon. Just locate one of our cruise partners and book your next trip for an unforgettable, authentic BVI experience.”
At the close of the 2018/2019 season the BVI is set to receive just over 500,000 passengers and the arrivals in the upcoming seasons are projected to continue to increase. This is a healthy outlook considering the setback to the industry caused by Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017.
