Carnival Corporation and Royal Caribbean are to develop and operate a new cruise pier at the popular eastern Caribbean destination of St. Lucia.
Two Major Cruise Lines Come Together!
Two of the biggest cruise companies in the world will come together in a joint venture to design, build and operate a new cruise pier in St. Lucia which is located in the Eastern Caribbean. They will also manage the current pier facility on the island which cruise ships use.
Giora Israel, senior vice president of global port and destination development for Carnival Corporation, said:
“This is an exciting day for our guests who already love the beauty and deep culture of Saint Lucia and an important step in sustaining cruise tourism growth for the island,”
“We look forward to working closely with our JV partners to give cruise passengers great experiences when visiting the island. With the new development project, Saint Lucia will be very well-positioned for jobs and significant economic impact for years to come.”
The two cruise companies will work with the government St. Lucia now that a Memorandum of Understanding has been signed. They will operate the current cruise pier and terminal facilities at the Port of Castries. The new pier facility which will be able to cater to the latest and most innovative cruise ships will be built at Vieux Fort on the southern part of the Caribbean island.
Michael Bayley, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean, said:
“The cruise market is the fastest growing sector of tourism and in the next decade cruising in the Caribbean region is anticipated to increase by 40%.”
“We are excited to partner with the Government of Saint Lucia to ensure that the destination directly benefits from that growth, while giving more guests the opportunity to visit this unique gem in the Caribbean.”
This will be a huge bonus for the island and the cruise visitor count will no doubt be increased. In turn, the economy will benefit such as local restaurants, bars, shore excursions, and more jobs.
Also Read: Carnival Completes Agreement for New Cruise Port and Pier in the Bahamas
Together, the cruise line brands of Carnival Corporation and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. currently account for 75% of all cruise ship deployment to Saint Lucia. Under the new agreement, the joint venture would optimize the experience for guests visiting Saint Lucia while developing additional cruise infrastructure to support the industry’s latest ships and promote the growth of cruise tourism on the island.
More details will be unveiled about the new pier in the future and Cruise Hive will be here to keep readers informed.
