By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

WITH more than 20 million expected cruise passenger arrivals in the Caribbean this year, Florida Caribbean Cruise Association President Michelle Paige told the 2015 Cruise Shipping Miami Conference that the Caribbean has evolved into a “dominant cruise tourism market.”

Describing the Caribbean as the most important cruising market, Ms Paige reported that passenger arrivals have grown from about eight million 20 years ago to more than 20 million expected from FCCA member lines this year.

She also revealed that passenger spending has increased significantly from $70m 20 years ago to $96m in 2012.

The Bahamas welcomes more than four million cruise passengers every year. “No one else in the Caribbean does that, and we continue to see cruise vessels coming to our nation because of what God gave us,” Tourism Minister Obie Wilchcombe said.

Ms Paige noted that the Caribbean offers a unique assortment of cultures and cuisines, as well as a history that creates a completely individual identity.

She said these attributes are crucial, noting that Cruise Tourism Organisation’s Future Caribbean Cruise Travel Survey confirmed that cruise passengers are more interested in destinations than ships, particularly valuing cultural heritage and culinary experiences.

The FCCA president also talked about the growing global competition in Asia.

“Most of you know that cruise markets now face global competition, with destinations like China growing exponentially and the Mediterranean predicting a record year. In fact, the Caribbean again holds the overwhelming lead in global deployment capacity share with nearly 36 per cent; this figure decreased almost two per cent from last year, whereas Asia increased more than two per cent,” she said.

In order to continue to grow with the cruise industry, Ms Paige said the Caribbean’s ability to stimulate the required demand will be directly dependent on its capacity to refresh and reinvent its tourism economies.

FCCA, she said, helps Caribbean destinations brand themselves, using their unique history and offerings to entice passengers, driving demand for repeat cruisers.

She reported that there are 33 new ocean vessels and more than 100,000 berths on the order books.

Ms Paige said destinations and stakeholders must partner with cruise lines to offer tailored destination products that appeal to cruise brands demographics.