Receives 1,785.670 million cruise passengers in 2013
The countries port has created another record by surpassing the number of cruise passengers in 2012 when compared to 2013, and this welcome news comes at the time when the port will celebrate its 50th anniversary this year. The Port of St. Maarten received 1,785.670 cruise passengers, 32,455 passengers more than in 2012. Cruise passengers arrived on 631 vessel calls for 2013.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mark Mingo of the St. Maarten Harbour Group of Companies is very pleased with the year-end figures adding that the board of supervisors, management and staff continue to work diligently to make sure that the country maintains its position in the North Eastern Caribbean as one of the leading cruise ports of call as well as in the Caribbean Basin.
CEO Mingo added that much praise must also go to the all those working in the hospitality sector on the island as well as to the cruise lines who see the value of calling at the Port of St. Maarten.
Overall for 2012, the destination received 622 ship calls with 1,753,215 cruise passengers.
In 1980 the destination only received 105,000 cruise passengers for the entire year. This grew to 564,251 in 1995 and to 1,055.040 eight years later in 2002.
The Port of St. Maarten maintains a prime position in Caribbean Cruise tourism.
The economic contribution of cruise tourism to destination economies have been outlined in a survey-based analysis of the impacts of passenger, crew and cruise line spending prepared by the Business Research & Economic Advisors (BREA) for the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) in September 2012.
A total of 21 destinations participated in the aforementioned edition while 20 took part in the 2009 volume.
Destination St. Maarten with respect to economic contribution of cruise tourism by destination for 2011/2012 cruise year, came in number two after The Bahamas (US$393.8 million) where total cruise tourism expenditures is concerned with US$356.2 million; third was the United States Virgin Islands US$339.8 million, followed by Puerto Rico with US$186.6 million and the Cayman Islands with US$157.7 million.
The 21 destinations accounted for close to two billion US dollars ($1,990.0) being spent in the Caribbean. The combined five destinations above accounted for US$1.43 billion in direct expenditures for 72 per cent of the total cruise expenditures among the 21 destinations.
PHOTO CUTLINE: Cruise vessels docked at Pier 1 and 2. Photo by Roddy Heyliger