The Port of St. Maarten will be represented at the 16th Annual Florida Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) Conference and Trade Show which starts on Monday, October 26 and runs through the 30th in St. Lucia.
Commissioner of Port Affairs Theo Heyliger left the island on Friday leading a delegation comprising of members of the supervisory board and other officials.
More than 1000 cruise industry partners and more than 100 cruise executives from the FCCA member lines will be present to discuss a full agenda of doing business with cruise lines and cruise line executives.
The conference has been billed as a perfect opportunity to showcase your destination and/or product to Cruise executives from the FCCA member lines.
The Conference includes a series of round table discussions hosted by executives from the FCCA Member Lines. Topics covered will be marketing, shore excursions and operations. Of particular interest this year, guest speakers will focus on the economic forecast for the cruise industry as it relates to the well-publicized American economy.
The FCCA Conference is the only event that also offers pre-set meetings with select Cruise Executives on a One-on-One basis for pre-registered Delegates. This is the perfect opportunity to meet with key players, analyze industry trends and discuss current issues.
"We will get an update on the cruise industry and expectations for the coming years based on the current global economic situation. The situation today is different when compared to a year ago when we all met in Trinidad & Tobago at the conference.
"Besides getting an update on trends and developments in the cruise sector, the FCCA Conference also offers us an opportunity for the Port of St. Maarten to get an update on current cruise market trends and developments where it concerns cruise passengers; and secondly, it also offers us the opportunity to give a status report of our cruise destination with respect to additional facilities and improvements to island infrastructure.
"Our presence once again at the FCCA Conference is very important especially in these challenging times. We look forward to meeting with our cruise partners and assessing new opportunities for the Port of St. Maarten," Harbour Group of Companies Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mark Mingo stated prior to his departure to St. Lucia.