BVI, FCCA sign agreement to boost cruise calls

The Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) has inked an agreement with the British Virgin Islands government to boost cruise ship visits and generate new excursion options. FCCA member lines represent more than 90 percent of global cruise capacity.

Under the agreement, FCCA will “guide the British Virgin Islands government on enhancing their product and increasing cruise calls,” said officials in a statement Monday.

The agreement will also “facilitate new experiences to offer cruise companies and collaborate with the local private sector to maximize any opportunities.”

The strategic partnership’s programs will include initiatives to convert cruise guests to land-based, overnight visitors, promote summer cruise itineraries, engage travel advisors and “create consumer demand and [develop] a destination service needs assessment [to] detail strengths, opportunities and needs.”

In addition, FCCA’s cruise executive committees, including sub-committees focused on employment and purchasing, will schedule “a series of meetings and site visits focused on the British Virgin Islands’ objectives,” said officials.

“This collaboration will amplify our cruise tourism reach, and improve and develop the services and products we offer for our cruise guests,” said Kye Rymer, the British Virgin Islands’ minister of communication and works.

Rymer said the agreement will also “generate more opportunities for the people of the Virgin Islands in this sector.” British Virgin Islands officials will also have access to FCCA’s executive committee, comprised of presidents and above at FCCA’s member lines.

FCCA’s British Virgin Islands pact follows a similar agreement the organization reached with the U.S. Virgin Islands in February.

“The British Virgin Islands has been a long-standing partner of the industry, and I am thrilled that this agreement signifies the improvement of so many lives and livelihoods,” said Micky Arison, chairman of FCCA and Carnival Corporation & plc. “This new agreement shows the momentum that FCCA and destinations are having in working together to maximize cruise tourism’s benefits.”

Cruise tourism in the British Virgin Islands generated $12.6 million in expenditures and $4.3 million in employee wage income during the 2017/2018 cruise season, according to a Business Research & Economic Advisors report.

The pact will “[assist] the private sector, improving employment, fostering cruise lines’ purchase of local goods and more that will help locals prosper from the economic impact that the industry brings,” said Michele Paige, FCCA’s president.

— SOURCE: Travel Pulse