BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – From March 15- 18, 2010, public and private sector representatives of St. Kitts’ tourism industry will interact with cruise industry decision-makers from North America and the world at the 26th Annual Seatrade Cruise Shipping Convention in Miami, Florida.
The public sector officials representing St. Kitts at this year’s event include: Minister of Tourism and International Transport Senator Ricky Skerritt; Ministry Advisor Mr. Cedric Liburd; Chairman of the Board of Directors for the St. Kitts Tourism Authority Mr. Alphonso O’Garro; Chief Financial Officer of the St. Christopher Air and Sea Ports Authority (SCASPA) Mr. Marcellus Phillip; Head of Corporate Affairs and Public Communications of SCASPA Mrs. Delcia Bradley-King; Product Standards Manager of the St. Kitts Tourism Authority Mrs. Melnecia Marshall; and Product Standards Officer of the St. Kitts Tourism Authority Mr. Vincent Branch.
At this year’s show, St. Kitts joins numerous other ports-of-call and cruise service providers from the Caribbean and around the world to showcase the island’s wealth of attractions to the global cruise industry. Top executives from various cruise lines and organizations, including Carnival Cruise Lines, Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Silversea Cruises, Holland America, NCL, Seabourn, the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) and Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), among others, are expected to attend the conference.
“The Seatrade Conference provides an important platform for networking and public relations with those key industry executives who can make a difference to the future of St. Kitts’ cruise tourism business, which will pass the half million passenger mark for the first time this season,” said Senator Skerritt, who traveled Thursday to Miami for meetings ahead of the conference. According to Skerritt, “The further development of onshore attractions and the prospect of a second cruise pier at Port Zante should provide additional leverage in our presentations that hopefully will drive more cruise business to our shores.”
St. Kitts will be exhibiting at Seatrade Cruise Shipping Miami Convention, held at the Miami Beach Convention Center in Florida, throughout the entire four days of the event. During that time, numerous show attendees are expected to visit the St. Kitts booth where representatives of the St. Kitts Tourism Authority will provide a first-hand experience of true Kittitian hospitality, offering useful information and answering any questions asked about the island and what it can offer cruise passengers. Representatives will also be attending various seminars, workshops and roundtable discussions covering the state of the industry and other topics, including how destinations can best work with the cruise industry to create new vacation experiences.
ABOUT THE SHOW: Organized by CMP Information, The Seatrade Cruise Shipping Miami Convention is the cruise industry’s leading annual exhibition and conference. Now in its 26th year, the show serves all sectors involved in the global cruise industry from shipbuilding through services, technology, operations and destinations. Its annual Miami location is a vital element in the success of the show, as the city is the primary home port and hub of the cruise industry. In 2009, the show attracted over 10,000 attendees and nearly 1,000 exhibiting companies from over 119 countries. For more information, visit http://www.cruiseshippingmiami.com.
