USVI's cruise tourism expenditures rank highest in the region
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| Published on Thursday, November 5, 2009 |
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ST THOMAS, USVI -- Following their return from the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association’s (FCCA) 16th Annual Cruise Conference and Trade Show, US Virgin Islands officials have announced that the Territory has seen the highest cruise-tourism economic contribution ($384.4 million) in the region, as well as the highest per passenger spending rate ($193.22) for the 2008/2009 cruise season.
The FCCA’s 16th Annual Cruise Conference and Trade Show, hosted by the island of St Lucia, took place from October 26-29, 2009. A highlight of the conference was the release of the Business Research and Economic Advisors (BREA)/FCCA 2009 Economic Impact Study, which examines the economic contribution of cruise tourism to the destination economies.
The US Virgin Islands led the region with a $384.4 million economic contribution, followed by Cozumel ($255.3 million), the Bahamas ($246.1 million), St Maarten ($230.3 million), Puerto Rico ($182.3 million) and the Cayman Islands ($174.4 million). The Territory’s $384 million cruise tourism expenditures yielded 6,688 jobs paying approximately $147 million in wage income during the 2008/2009 cruise year.
In addition, the Economic Impact Study showed that the average passenger’s spend per visit to the Territory in 2008/2009 was the highest in the region at $193.22, a 9.4 percent increase from the $176.69 spent per passenger in 2005/2006. Average crew expenditure in the US Virgin Islands also increased significantly from $143.83 in the 2005/2006 cruise season to $152.58 in 2008/2009. Overall, the Territory saw 1,575,000 onshore passenger visits, the third highest volume in the region, preceded only by the Bahamas and Cozumel.
“It is refreshing to note that in spite of the difficult economic conditions, the US Virgin Islands continue to be the premier destination in the Eastern Caribbean, and clearly the shopping Mecca of the entire Caribbean,” stated WICO President and CEO Edward Thomas. “St. Thomas, in particular, continues to benefit from “first stop” calls as most cruise ships stop in St. Thomas before sailing further to the eastern and southern Caribbean. That trend continues in this 2009-2010 season and more importantly, the arrival of the Oasis of the Seas directly from Fort Lauderdale weekly and the Carnival Dream from Port Canaveral/Nassau should continue to boost spending in this destination,” Thomas said.
“Our performance in the cruise sector is due largely to the fact that St Thomas remains a port of high disembarkment because of its shopping and entertainment opportunities,” added Commissioner of Tourism Beverly Nicholson-Doty. “The available tours, restaurants and attractions entice visitors to enjoy the destination and spend on souvenirs and other goods and services.”
A total of 29 destinations located across the Caribbean, Central America, South America and Mexico participated in the 2009 study. The previous study was conducted in 2006 for the 2005/2006 cruise season. The FCCA is a not-for-profit trade organization composed of 15 member cruise lines operating more than 100 vessels in Floridian, Caribbean and Latin American waters. | | | | Reads : 422 | | | |
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