FCCA Launches Private Destination

FCCA Launches Private Destination Meetings

During the quarter, Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) launched an ongoing series of private meetings with destinations to prepare for cruise’s return from North America and how to move full steam ahead during the pause.

The beginning of a happily ever after started Wednesday, February 3 with Aruba, ‘One Happy Island,’ including a delegation with Minister of Tourism Dangui Oduber and with FCCA and Member Lines represented by FCCA President Michele Paige and FCCA Operations Committee Chairman and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Vice President of Government Relations, Americas, Russell Benford.

Minister Oduber told the destination reopened borders in July, which had been successful, but was expected to be even more fruitful after the destination’s robust planned vaccination rollout, with the Dutch government supplying a first batch for about 50% of population for people in hospitals and elderly in February – and assisting with providing enough vaccines for the whole population, with plans to have at least 85% vaccinated by the end of June.

Plus, this could be buoyed by cruise lines’ plans to stay closer to North America upon resuming operations, with more year-round calls, longer port stays and a hunger for authentic experiences, informed Paige, urging the destination to work on developing products to feed that need and prove that this short-term solution could become a long-term plan.

Meetings took no break, continuing Thursday, February 4 with Antigua and Barbuda and a delegation featuring Minister of Tourism Charles Fernandez again joined by Paige and Benford. Minister Fernandez relayed the previous tourism success after opening borders on June 1, 2020, but expressed how a rise during the winter holidays led to a mask mandate in April – with the destination being one of the first in the region with that mandate – and other measures to curb the spread, protect the people and regain tourism.

He continued that other initiatives included training all frontline tourism workers and zeroing in on the yachting sector, with the top yachting hotel sold out since November and protocols including bringing medical personnel trained in infections disease onboard and the Ministry of Health constantly evaluating – and shared that such initiatives would carry over to cruising as soon as possible, which would be further aided by completion of the fifth berth, as well as dredging the turning basin and a landslide build out slated to be finished soon.

Proof of the destination’s tourism protocols and ability to handle cruise when it returns was in the data, with zero frontline tourism workers infected from tourists – and 100% ready to handle more year-round ships during the return, which Paige again emphasized and stressed the need to educate the private sector about the ‘bubble’ operations being a short-term effect, which will be followed by a larger economic impact through those year-round operations and longer stays, and to develop more products built around the history and culture to optimize that opportunity.

Meetings proceeded with new company, joined by Marie McKenzie, vice president of global ports and Caribbean government relations for Carnival Corporation, in addition to Paige and Benford on the February 10 meeting with The Bahamas and a delegation including Minister of Tourism & Aviation Hon. Dionisio D’Aguilar and Dr. Kenneth Romer, Executive Director of the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism & Aviation.

After sharing the good news on the American home front with increased vaccinations, as well as noting that many ships and guests will likely stay closer to home, leading to more year-round and summer traffic, Minister D’Aguilar gave some updates for the destination and region. He told The Bahamas is well situated to take advantage of the bounce back when operations resume – and that the people are starting to see the benefit of private islands in diversifying product and giving guests another way to enjoy The Bahamas besides going to city centers, which he told is especially important as the first stages of cruise’s return will likely not happen as usual, with operations mainly first taking place in private islands and controlled tours.

He also reported that infection levels are infinitesimal and had no doubt guests will be exposed to far less risk than in the United States. As an example, he told at that time only 16 people were in hospitals, and infection levels were far below the 5% threshold. He continued that the Caribbean overall has likely done better than any other region on the planet due to small populations and ability to enact protocols.

As far as vaccinations, he shared that they are aligned with the World Health Organization (WHO), which has essentially guaranteed 20% of the population for smaller countries, with 50,000 vaccines expected for Bahamas in the first phase and the goal of vaccinating 60-80% to reopen tourism and protect the population.

Plus, guests should have plenty to experience with the new Nassau cruise port nearing completion and the destination focusing on COVID-friendly activities.

On February 16, the same FCCA and Member Line delegation met with Barbados Minister of Tourism and International Transport, Senator Lisa Cummins. After praising some of the progress of the North America Cruise Tourism Task Force chaired by Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley and Royal Caribbean International President & CEO Michael Bayley, Cummins shared some of the vaccination progress, with a first wave of 200,000 doses and goal of 70% of population to achieve herd immunity – along with already helping neighbor destinations like Dominica and distributing doses via CARICOM to help Caribbean nations vaccinate their tourism frontlines.

The destination’s own tourism was still holding relatively strong after

November-December witnessing great numbers and flights from major source markets with high loads and hotel occupancy from 79-100%, but then seeing a decline, with occupancy around 45% in January and February expecting to be flat especially considering the Canadian ban and U.K. closedown. However, she shared that United States was staying steady, and JetBlue was looking to increase flights.

She continued that key to that was supporting land-based tourism, with the destination moving away from challenges facing short-term travel to looking at longstay holidays – and working to play into its strength in the U.S. market to appeal to long-stay visitors.

Further to that support, Senator Cummins shared that about $7 million per day was lost during the lockdown, but the government implemented the BEST program to keep hotels and tourism service directors going for 24 months, while also requiring a compulsory training component and renewable energy initiative.

For those reasons and more, she felt confident that everyone in the private sector was ready for cruise’s return – and enthusiastically agreed to a Town Hall Meeting with FCCA to further rally and educate the communities for what to expect when that time comes.

The FCCA delegation followed up that meeting with a pair of meetings the same day with Belize and Grenada officials.

Grenada Tourism Authority Acting Chairman Mrs. Kirl Grand-Hoschtialek focused on the preparations for reopening, including working with local stakeholders on the ground and the Minister implementing a strategic advisory committee along with a GTA action-oriented task force for the short term – and the cruise sector protocols already approved by the Ministry of Health, with talks in the work to take advantage of the extra ships in the Southern Caribbean and potentially longer stays.

Belize Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation Hon. Anthony Mahler shared that the destination was already working on its vaccination program with a target of around half the population, as well as protocols for visitors that have been vaccinated to be processed, with waived testing upon arrival in Belize.

The destination delegation then shared some of the outreach they have done to inform and prepare the private sector for cruise’s return – and requested a Town Hall Meeting with FCCA to assist with that and give an indication about what kind of sites and activities would be part of ‘bubble’ operations, and to buoy the enthusiasm of people who are currently unemployed, underemployed and anxiously awaiting that return.

On March 1, cruise line brass rang during a momentous meeting with United States Virgin Islands Governor Albert Bryan Jr. and Tourism Commissioner Joseph Boschulte along with numerous Member Line executives, including Chairmen, Presidents and CEOs such as Micky Arison, Chairman, Carnival Corporation; Michael Bayley; Frank Del Rio, President & CEO, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings; Richard Sasso, Chairman, MSC Cruises USA; and Pierfrancesco Vago, Executive Chairman, MSC Cruises.

In addition to discussing ways to further work with U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on the technical specifications to allow the resumption of cruises, as well as the impressive progress the destination has made in its own vaccination efforts – with 50 percent of the population expected to be inoculated by July – and protocols allowing tourism to thrive, the meeting focused on other progress USVI has made through refreshments during the downturn, including the imminent completion of Veterans Drive, and more ways to make St. Thomas seem completely new to guests with additional attractions, plus the possibility of multiport stops with St. Croix creating a ‘bubble’ using a similar model to cruise lines’ private islands.