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From thebahamasweekly.com - Ministry of Tourism Updates
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.
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.
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