Top Headlines

Holistica Destinations to invest $300 million in Freeport, Grand Bahama Island

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 05 March 2020 05 March 2020

Holistica Destinations, a new joint venture between Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. and privately held ITM Group, has announced its first major project in The Bahamas: a development in Freeport, Grand Bahama with an initial investment of $300 million. The venture spans two locations including the enhancement and expansion of the port terminal, to be called Harbour Village, and the Lucaya Property, which will be situated at the current Grand Lucayan resort. The project includes ambitious plans for employment, job training, community investment and sustainable construction practices.

"Holistica Destinations knows how to build destinations that bridge an area’s authentic culture for the enjoyment of cruise and land-based travelers in a way they long for, while simultaneously allowing destinations to stay true to themselves in an environmentally conscious way," said Robert Shamosh, CEO of Holistica Destinations. "Our overall vision for this new endeavor is a long-term relationship with the community and the government of The Bahamas; essentially a marriage where we will grow together in prosperity welcoming millions of visitors to the destination for years to come."

The first phase of the Lucaya Property will be a world-class beachfront destination with a 526-room hotel, shopping village, spa and wellness center, water-based family entertainment including a massive water and adventure theme park, a 40,000-square-foot convention center, adventure activities such as zip lines and off-roading, restaurants and bars, entertainment and lively nightlife. This new Bahamian oasis will be a place where visitors will be invited to immerse in the destination’s vibrant culture, stunning landscape and native wildlife.

Harbour Village will be nine miles west of the Lucaya Property, at the cruise terminal in Freeport Harbor. Here, visitors will be able to enjoy numerous spaces with multiple shopping and dining venues, beach areas, shore excursions and more. There will also be engaging activities for visitors to experience.

“Great destinations are a vitally important part of the recipe to deliver unforgettable cruise vacations. With our partnership in Holistica Destinations, we believe that this new development will create a world-class experience for guests and deliver renewed hope for the rebirth of Grand Bahama,” said Michael Bayley, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean International. “We thank the government of The Bahamas for its continued partnership and shared vision to create a premier attraction which will be a catalyst for economic growth in the destination.”

Mauricio Hamui of ITM Group said the capacity for the harbor will be vastly expanded: “By the time we are finished in the winter of 2022, the port will be ready to host the largest cruise ships in the world.”

With the participation of Bahamian companies, development plans for Freeport also include a multi-modal transportation hub with infrastructure for water ferries and ground transportation including buses, vans and jeeps. Holistica Destinations will work closely with local business owners and entrepreneurs as partners with opportunities both at Harbour Village and the Lucaya Property as well as additional shore excursions in Grand Bahama.

A May 2019 study by Tourism Economics, an Oxford Economics company, indicated that over a 22-year projection timeline, there would be a B$9.1 billion increase in Bahamian GDP as a result of this project. Additionally, the project anticipates creating 3,000 direct jobs during peak construction and operation periods. Once the development is completed, Grand Bahama should expect to welcome more than two million travelers annually.

“We thank Holistica Destinations for investing in Grand Bahama,” said Prime Minister, the Most Honorable Dr. Hubert Minnis. “This project will result in employment, business and entrepreneurial opportunities for the residents of Grand Bahama.”

Holistica Destinations excels in developing and operating port destinations. In addition to the Freeport project, the company owns and operates destinations in Costa Maya, Mexico; Roatan, Honduras; and Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. These projects, among others, will serve eight million visitors annually and are to be accessible to all travelers, including land and air vacationers and guests of multiple cruise lines. Holistica Destinations is also engaged in discussions regarding multiple existing and proposed destinations around the world.

Virgin Voyages cancels Scarlet Lady's New York showcase

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 01 March 2020 01 March 2020

Virgin Voyages has canceled the Scarlet Lady's showcase, which was to take place next weekend.

"In light of the current news headlines, we want to ensure everyone feels it is the right time to celebrate with us. We understand people may want to focus on other things at the moment, so we have made the decision to reschedule our upcoming Showcase Tour stop and events in New York City. We plan to sail back to New York soon," the company said in a statement.

"We have absolutely no health concerns or issues on board and elevated our health protocol and processes when we took delivery of Scarlet Lady to keep our crew and visitors well and happy.

With no other events scheduled in New York at this time, we will instead sail Scarlet to her new home in Miami, where we will continue our plans for launch and welcome our Sailors for the first time."

ITB Berlin 2020 cancelled

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 01 March 2020 01 March 2020

ITB Berlin 2020 will not take place. Due to the rapid spread of the new coronavirus (COVID-19) the Federal Ministry of Health and the Federal Ministry of Economics have stated their opinion that ITB Berlin be cancelled. This evening at 1827 hrs, the responsible health authority of the district of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf in Berlin imposed significantly tighter restrictions on holding the event. Among its requirements the authority stipulated that each participant would need to prove to Messe Berlin that they were not from a designated risk area or had not been in contact with a person or persons from a risk area. It is not possible for Messe Berlin to satisfy these requirements overall.

Messe Berlin had for weeks made it known that a decision on holding or cancelling large-scale events would only be taken based on the recommendations or instructions of the relevant specialist authorities. Only they possess the necessary information and specialist knowledge in order to draw the right conclusions.

Dr. Christian Göke, CEO of Messe Berlin GmbH, said: ”With more than 10,000 exhibitors from over 180 countries ITB Berlin is extremely important for the world’s tourism industry. We take our responsibility for the health and safety of our visitors, exhibitors and employees very seriously. It is with a heavy heart that we must now come to terms with the cancellation of ITB Berlin 2020.”

Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Messe Berlin Wolf-Dieter Wolf said: ”Not once in the 54-year history of the event have ITB Berlin and Messe Berlin experienced a similar situation. We would like to thank all exhibitors and partners from all over the world who over the past few days and weeks have stood by ITB Berlin. We look forward to continuing the trusted relationship with our partners in the market.“

John Delaney steps down as President, Chris Prelog elevated to COO of Windstar Cruises

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 01 March 2020 01 March 2020

Seattle-based Windstar Cruises announced on February 28 that John Delaney, President of Windstar Cruises since July 2016, will be stepping down on Wednesday, March 4th to focus on personal priorities. Andrew Todd, President and CEO of Xanterra Leisure Holding, LLC, the parent company of Windstar Cruises, will continue as CEO of the small-ship cruise line. Delaney will provide advice to the brand during the transition through March.

Christopher Prelog, Vice President of Fleet Operations at Windstar Cruises and former VP at Seabourn Cruise Line, will assume the role as Chief Operating Officer of Windstar Cruises. Prelog's entire professional career has been in hospitality and the cruise industry and he actually began his career on ships and now has risen to the rank of COO with Windstar.

In addition, another highly respected name in the world of travel, cruising and hospitality will help with the transition. Betsy O'Rourke, Chief Marketing Officer for Xanterra and the former SVP of Marketing at Royal Caribbean, will lend her expertise to the Windstar brand during this exciting time of growth and expansion highlighted by the $250 Million Star Plus Initiative, where all three of Windstar's yacht-like ships (half of Windstar's entire fleet) are being lengthened to feature new suites, dining venues and public spaces. The first of the "new" stretched ships, Star Breeze, returns to service May 2020.

American Cruise Lines to accelerate expansion

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines; Published: 28 February 2020 28 February 2020

American Cruise Lines has announced that it will launch two additional modern riverboats for the 2021 season. Construction is already underway on the new riverboats and will ramp up as American Jazz, the Line’s 3rd modern riverboat, is readied for its 2020 debut in New Orleans.

The two riverboats coming next year will be sister ships to the American Harmony and American Jazz, but will feature new design elements that appeal to today’s discerning travelers. Further design enhancements will be unveiled later this year.

“These new ships show our continued commitment to leading the Mississippi River cruise market,” said Charles B. Robertson, President & CEO of American Cruise Lines. “The American fleet is already unrivaled and the new riverboats will allow us to continue to roll out innovative amenities that enhance guest experiences.” All three new ships are being built at Chesapeake Shipbuilding in Salisbury, MD, an affiliate of American Cruise Lines.

“Chesapeake Shipbuilding is well-suited to increase production output,” said Steve McGee, President of Chesapeake Shipbuilding. “We have five hull fabrication buildings and more than 1,000 feet of deep water bulkhead to build and outfit multiple ships at the same time.”

American’s series of modern riverboats ushered in a new era of river cruising in the U.S. The Line introduced the country’s 1st modern riverboat in 2018, with the historic debut of the series flagship, American Song. The 2nd modern riverboat, American Harmony, was introduced in 2019 and the 3rd, American Jazz, begins cruising the Mississippi in 2020.

American Cruise Lines has introduced five new ships since 2017, including new coastal ships, and will have 14 ships cruising in 2021. By expanding both its river and coastal fleet, American is able to offer an unprecedented number of itineraries across the country.