By Dana Niland
CJ Contributor

As St Maarten’s tourism comeback, one sector is already performing better than ever: the cruise industry.

Port St Maarten reported over 1.5 million cruise passengers in 2018, according to new data from the port.

Over the course of 489 cruise calls, 1,597101 cruise passengers visited the port, reflecting a sizable 29 percent increase in visitor arrivals year-over-year.

“St. Maarten’s cruise port has always been one of the best in the Caribbean,” said St Maarten Director of Tourism of St. Maarten, May-Ling Chun. “These arrival numbers don’t only reflect that fact, but also highlight how quickly the island has bounced back.”

The port saw a 30.3 percent increase from May through July, when cruise visitations are typically slower.

The latter half of the year also brought about the return of pre-Hurricane Irma arrival numbers.

Port St. Maarten welcomed 646,431 passengers from September to December, indicating a 17.87 percent increase in arrivals from the same time period in 2016.

“St. Maarten as a tourism product is set to come back even stronger and better than ever,” said Stuart Johnson, St Maarten’s Minister of Tourism. “We look forward to continuing to welcome cruise passengers back to our shores with classic St. Maarten warmth and hospitality throughout 2019.”

— CJ

The post St Maarten Is Seeing a Cruise Boom appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

The US Virgin Islands Port Authority is exploring an opportunity to increase cruise passenger visits to the island of St Croix.

The plan would be to modify the Ann E. Abramson Marine Facility in Frederiksted to accommodate Quantum-class cruise ships, according to the Port Authority.

The organization’s board has approved a study to analyze the feasibility of doing so, and determine what modifications would be needed to berth Quantum-class ships — and the most cost effective method to do so, according to a statement.

Royal Caribbean’s Quantum class is the third-largest class of cruise ships; each such call could bring up to 4,905 visitors to St Croix.

Several other Caribbean destinations have expanded their piers to accommodate such ships in recent years, most notably Saint Lucia and San Juan.

The largest ships that currently berth in St Croix have a max capacity of up to 2,501 passengers.

— CJ

The post A Bigger Cruise Pier in St Croix? appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

St Maarten’s popular Oyster Bay Beach Resort has officially completed its extensive reconstruction project, Caribbean Journal has learned.

The property, which partially reopened in June after shuttering in the wake of Hurricane Irma, has now completed its final phase of reopening, meaning a total of 182 units now available.

The property said it had been seeing 85 percent occupancy during the “high-demand season.”

“It’s very emotionally rewarding to have the entire resort opened again, as well as almost completely occupied. Ownership and guests are grateful to have OBBR returned to them in great condition — and in some ways better than before Irma,” said OBBR General Manager Ricardo Perez. “To complete this substantial restoration on time and on budget was an intensive team effort by our management group and staff. As one of the first resorts to fully open, we’re proud to contribute to St Maarten’s remarkable rebirth.”

The property has more plans to come, including a transformation of “Beah Beau’s” into a beachfront bistro, bar and market.

— CJ

The post St Maarten’s Oyster Bay Beach Resort Completes Reconstruction appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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