WITH traditional Junkanoo sounds, The Bahamas welcomed the latest Royal Caribbean cruise liner, Quantum of the Seas, to Prince George Dock on its inaugural call to Nasssau last week.

On hand to greet the luxury liner on Thursday were Director General of Tourism Joy Jibrilu, officials of the Port Department, Bahamas Customs Department, Immigration Department, Andrew Malone, port agent, United Shipping and other officials.

A plaque exchange ceremony took place on board, during which Mrs Jibrilu underscored the importance of the Quantum’s inaugural call to Nassau.

“Royal Caribbean has been docking at our shores for 44 years, beginning in 1970 with the Song of Norway, just six years following the establishment of tourism as the primary industry for economic development within the Bahamas,” Mrs Jibrilu said.

“As time progressed, the Bahamas became the model and leader in the Western Hemisphere, and Royal Caribbean has stayed with us throughout these years,” she said.

The Bahamas’ tourism industry has grown by “leaps and bounds” with RCCL’s first ship, the Song of Norway at 18,000 tons in 1970 and now the Quantum of the Seas at 169,000 tons.

The Quantum-class ship is the second largest class of passenger ships behind Royal Caribbean International’s Oasis. It has 16 accessible decks for passengers, eight of which feature balcony staterooms overlooking the ocean. The ship can accommodate 4,180 passengers.

Quantum of the Seas is also equipped with an engineering application of the digital platform, which allows passengers to tailor a vacation experience before leaving home, customise the voyage experience and organise onshore calendars using an on board self-service platform or a downloadable app.

“This is an unmatched innovation concept,” Mrs Jibrilu said, adding that Quantum’s dedicated satellite with an impressive bandwidth exceeding all other vessels combined, expresses a ‘quantum leap’ in RCCL’s commitment to a customer base requiring access to technology.

The Ministry of Tourism, she said, strives to create authentic Bahamian experiences to add to the overall value of Quantum of the Seas and that of all its suppliers.

“Our goal is to ensure that passengers want to visit the Bahamas again, while showcasing the myriad of diverse experiences in our region. You will hear much more of our initiatives at a later date,” she said.

And, as a strategic partner, she said that the ministry appreciates that a 50 per cent complement of the Quantum’s staff at Coco Cay are Bahamians.