By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

Nassau Cruise Port’s top executive yesterday said its “bread and butter” will return on July 4 when the cruise industry resumes calls on the Bahamian capital from its Florida hub.

Michael Maura, while pledging that the company “hasn’t skipped a beat” in preparing for Royal Caribbean’s and Crystal Cruises’ home porting, told Tribune Business he had been informed by the cruise lines they plan to return to Nassau in time for US Independence Day provided they receive the go-ahead from US health authorities.

“I was told that Nassau is going to see a ship, and I’m talking transit calls, on July 4 in addition to home porting ships,” he revealed, adding that the first vessel was likely to be a Royal Caribbean ship. “This summer we will see a return of transit ships.”

That would bring an end to the cruise industry’s near 16-month absence from Nassau and Freeport, this nation’s major population hubs, and enable Bay Street and wider downtown Nassau, plus all the sectors that rely on cruise tourism such as restaurants, tour operators, transportation and straw vendors, to slowly return to business after over a year’s closure.

Mr Maura said Bahamians and residents will likely be awe struck by the sight of several thousand cruise passengers returning to Bay Street and the surrounding areas given their long absence, as he contrasted this with the eerie downtown silence when this newspaper visited Nassau Cruise Port last week.

“Imagine that July 4 weekend to see an additional 3,000 tourists meandering through downtown,” he added. “Because we have been out for so long we will be standing there awe struck saying look at all these people. It’s exciting.”

Dionisio D’Aguilar, minister of tourism and aviation, last week said that while cruise passengers accounted for 75 percent or 5.4m of this nation’s 7.2m total tourist arrivals in 2019, they only made up 11 percent of all visitor spending.

However, the cruise industry’s impact is missed by all industries, entrepreneurs and employees that relied on it for their livelihoods. The Ministry of Tourism revealed that total spending by cruise tourists in Nassau was $325.78m in 2019, the last full year pre-COVID, and around $400m for the entire Bahamas.

Mr Maura said he had been especially encouraged by a published message earlier this week to travel agents from Richard Fain, Royal Caribbean’s group chairman, who said: “We can now state with a high level of confidence that ships from the Royal Caribbean group will be operating out of US ports as early as next month.”

Royal Caribbean has applied to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for permission to start test cruises from Florida, following surging COVID-19 vaccination levels in the US as well as a better working relationship with the federal health regulator.

“The CDC and cruise industry are working much closer today than in the recent past,” Mr Maura explained. “He [Mr Fain] said you will see the cruise lines sailing from US ports in a month’s time, and that’s very positive news. In his words, they can see the light at the end of the tunnel.”

The Nassau Cruise Port chief said Mr Fain had reviewed the health measures that the cruise industry, and Royal Caribbean specifically, plan to implement with all crew and passengers aged over 12 years-old having to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

The Royal Caribbean chief had also revealed that fully vaccinated passengers will not have to wear masks around fellow guests who have also been inoculated, and Mr Maura added: “He was very positive. It was just welcome news. For the chairman of Royal Caribbean to come out and speak so positively about the return of cruising, and the fact we are a transit port, it was great news.”

He said he was “also hearing” that the CDC will no longer mandate limits or caps on a ship’s passenger numbers if all are fully vaccinated, and the necessary health measures and protocols are in place, meaning vessels can potentially sail with as many inoculated passengers as they wish rather than just 50 percent or 30 percent.

“That’s a huge benefit not only to the ship but the tourist destination because the ship is going to bring with it a huge number of visitors,” Mr Maura added. He pledged, though, that the return of the port’s “bread and butter” traffic from Florida will not cause it to slow down or neglect efforts to accommodate home porting vessels.

“We are going to work, and continue to work, around building the infrastructure and providing the services to support and welcome home port operations,” he told Tribune Business. “We haven’t skipped a beat, we haven’t slowed down, and every day - today included - we are working at 110 miles per hour to get home port operations and facilities in place.

“We will make our bread and butter from transit passengers. The faster the CDC allows the cruise ship industry to resume sailing from US ports, the better for us.”

Mr Maura spoke after Crystal Cruises revealed that it has extended its Bahamas home porting, and seven-day cruises around this nation, for a further six weeks into November 2021. Reservations for the three round-trips from Nassau on October 23, October 30, and November 6, and three round-trips from Bimini on October 24, October 31 and November 7, begin tomorrow.

The cruise line, in a statement, said The Bahamas’ voyages have triggered “record demand, representing the biggest single day of bookings in the company’s history within the first 24 hours of its release”. It also confirmed that it is dropping Harbour Island in favour of Spanish Wells as a port of call. However, a water shuttle to the former, and golf cart tour, will still be offered to passengers.

“The terrific response to our initial deployment of Crystal Serenity’s Luxury Bahamas Escapes showcases the pent-up desire in cruising, and we are equally eager to start exploring again and to welcome our guests back on board,” said Jack Anderson, Crystal’s president.

“The Bahamas is the perfect destination to launch our return to cruising, as it is both close to home and yet a world away, with amazing outdoor options from snorkelling and diving to eco-tours and deep-sea fishing, to just relaxing on some of the world’s most beautiful beaches.

“These itineraries are truly unique because they offer guests the chance to experience exclusive places usually only accessible by sea planes or private yachts and sailboats. We are delighted that The Bahamas has welcomed us to explore their beautiful Family Islands and we look forward to sharing their natural wonders and authentic, up-close experiences with our guests.”

“We are thrilled that Crystal Cruises has added six new sailings to its Luxury Bahamas Escapes cruising programme,” said Dionisio D’Aguilar, minister of tourism and aviation.

“On our Family Islands, the impact is expected to bring with it manageable interaction with guests – and opportunities to curate memorable experiences for small, intimate groups of travellers. As always, we will continue to work closely with all parties to ensure that we are delivering an unforgettable guest experience, while ensuring our local communities benefit positively.”