The Carnival Dream arrives in Nassau.
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Nassau, Bahamas -
Minister
of Tourism and Aviation Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace on Thursday urged
Bahamians to take advantage of increased numbers of cruise visitors
by establishing the kinds of attractions that would encourage visitors
to spend more.
As
Minister Vanderpool-Wallace welcomed
Carnival Cruise Lines’ newest
and largest ship, the Dream
, to Nassau for the first time, and he pointed
out that increasing numbers of cruise passengers must be accompanied
by increased tourist expenditure for tourism success. He said
passengers must find the type of attractions on Bay Street that would
entertain and satisfy them so that the country would see an increase
in the approximate $100 per person expenditure of cruise passengers.
The
Dream’s 4,000 passengers and 1,300 crew members received a rousing
welcome as they disembarked at Prince George Dock. The Royal Bahamas
Police Force Marching Band and Colors Junkanoo group gave high-energy
performances on the pier next to the ship while the Royal Bahamas Police
Force Pop Band performed onboard during an inaugural ceremony attended
by government officials and tourism partners.
Colors Junkanoo Group leads the celebration of the arrival of the Dream.
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During
the ceremony Hyacinth Pratt, permanent secretary in the Ministry of
Tourism and Aviation, invited Carnival officials to call on Grand Bahama
Island, where a state of the art cruise port will soon be developed.
She also pointed out that Carnival continues as the Bahamas’ largest
cruise passenger contributor. Carnival brought almost one million
passengers to the Bahamas in 2008, she said.
“The
Government of The Bahamas values Carnival Cruise Lines as a partner
in the continued growth of our cruise tourism industry,” Ms. Pratt
said. “The Bahamas is proud of our status as the region’s number
one destination for cruises. We are appreciative of the economic
impact made by cruise passengers particularly to a category of self-employed
business persons in the downtown area.”
Ms.
Pratt said the Bahamas is committed to improving the visitor experience,
which will be assisted by the planned redevelopment of downtown Nassau.
She said the dredging of Nassau Harbour, which will be completed before
the end of the year, will also help provide a better experience for
cruise lines and their passengers.
Captain
Carlo Queirolo, who has been with Carnival since 1985, said he noticed
the effects of the harbor dredging right away. He thanked the
government for the dredging, which made his entrance to the harbor possible
in the mega-ship, the Dream.
Deputy Prime Minister Brent Symonette and Minister Vanderpool-Wallace are pictured exchanging gifts with Capt. Queirolo onboard the Dream.
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The Royal Bahamas Police Force band kicks off the party.
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SLIDE SHOW: The Carnival Dream visits Grand Bahama Island after stopping in Nassau. Presenting to Capt. Queirolo is the Hon. Neko Grant, Minister of Works and Transport.(L-R) Don Cornish- Island Administrator, Karen Seymour- Director GBI- Ministry of Tourism, Captain Carlo Queirolo, Min Neko Grant, Ministry of Works and Hotel Director- Donato Becce. Photos: Derek Carroll
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