TourismToday

Downtown Nassau bustled with commerce October 27, when the port made history by hosting seven cruise ships at once for the first time.

The seven ships is a record for the recently-revamped port. The ships brought in almost 25,000 visitors – 17,762 vacationers and 6,935 crew members. Continue Reading

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has advised that with immediate effect, cruise ship passengers from those countries whose nationals would normally require visas to travel to The Bahamas, are no longer required to obtain a visa if they plan to travel to and depart from The Bahamas via cruise ship. Continue Reading

Taxi Driver Mario Rahming was a real life hero to an injured visitor recently. Mr. Rahming assisted the visitor and escorted her safely back to her cruise ship.

”This is the kind of spirit and kindness that reminds us that we are all in this together and we all make a difference,“ said Carla Stuart, director of Cruise Development in the Ministry of Tourism & Aviation. The Cruise Development department, showed appreciation for Mr. Rahming’s goodwill by presenting him with a certificate of appreciation and a gift card for Graycliff Restaurant.

The Bahamas is seeking to draw more revenue from high end markets and is boosting efforts to develop mega yacht vacations.

The Ministry of Tourism & Aviation recently partnered with the International Yacht Connection to host a familiarization exercise with 30 international yacht charter brokers. The yacht brokers, the majority of whom are European, flew into Nassau and sailed to Exuma for a short vacation aboard seven luxury yachts. Like all familiarization trips, the ministry is hoping that the charter brokers will be impressed by what they have learned and experienced in the Bahamas. Ultimately, tourism officials hope the charter brokers are encouraged to send more business to the Bahamas. Continue Reading

Courtesy of The Tribune

The blazing fire that spread in the northeast area of Bay Street had a minimal effect on cruise ship activity, with a tourism executive saying none of the three vessels or 7,929 stopover visitors on Monday were hindered.

Director of Cruise Development for the Ministry of Tourism Carla Stuart told Guardian Business yesterday it was business as usual for the cruise port, with only a few safety measures being taken because of the fire. Continue Reading

Courtesy of The Nassau Guardian

Arawak Port Development Ltd. (APD) is completing marine works and an apron at the Arawak Cay port to operate it as an international container port, scheduled for completion by the end of 2011.

Individual mailboat services will still operate from Potters Cay Dock to accommodate boats that offer roll-on and roll-off services for inter-island marine freight transport.  The Potters Cay location will also facilitate services for local wholesale agencies to ship smaller palleted shipments to the Family Islands.  However, the Arawak Cay Port will service international container freight transportation and storage.   Continue Reading

The world’s major shipping routes, supplying everything from raw materials to essential food products, would grind to a halt without seafarers. With shipping forming 90% of world trade, it is particularly pertinent that the theme for the 3rd BIMCATS is “The Mariner: Building on the Year of the Seafarer”. Preparations for the next BIMCATS event in Freeport, Grand Bahama, are well underway. Continue Reading

Courtesy of The Tribune – By ALISON LOWE

The regular arrival to Bahamian shores of a new, increased size Disney cruise ship in 2011 will bring an estimated $3 million in passenger spending into the economy, in addition to $900,000 in tax revenue for the Government, the Minister of Tourism said yesterday.

The Dream, the third ship in the Disney Cruise Line fleet, is scheduled to sail three, four and five-night cruises to the Bahamas from Port Canaveral, Florida, starting on January 26. Continue Reading

By INDERIA SAUNDERS Guardian Business Reporter

Festival Place vendors will be relocated to a tent as of January, once renovations begin to replace the roof of the complex.

The complex hopes to lure its star tenant, Kafe Kalik, back with the renovations.

The construction is expected to continue during the first half of 2011. General Manager of the tourist-welcoming center Marcian Cooper hopes to see business stay afloat during and after construction. And Bahamian restaurant Kafe Kalik is being factored into those plans. Continue Reading

The Ministry of Tourism and Aviation is focused on helping tour operators generate more revenues while meeting the needs of cruise ships and passengers, Tourism Director General David Johnson told tour operators during a one-day workshop Tuesday. Continue Reading

Please be advised that due to Hurricane Paula, the following Carnival Ships have been diverted to the Port of Nassau:

Thursday, October 14, 2010 – Imagination – arriving at 6:00 a.m. – departing at 5:00 p.m.
Friday, October 15, 2010 – Destiny – arriving at 7:00 a.m. – departing at 6:00 p.m
Saturday, October 16, 2010 – Valor – arriving at 6:00 a.m. – departing 6:00 p.m.

Downtown businesses are reporting healthy business from cruise ships after extensive dredging and refurbishment of Nassau Harbour.

The world’s largest cruise ship, the Oasis of the Seas, is among the selection of cruise vessels that call at Prince George Dock in Nassau. The historic ship calls at Nassau two Sundays each month. Meanwhile, another mega cruise ship, the Norwegian Epic, has been calling on Fridays. Each vessel has contributed handsomely to revenues.
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Government officials on September 16 formally marked the close of the Nassau Harbour Improvement Project and celebrated the economic boost the project has brought and will continue to bring to the country.

A $44 million contract was signed for the dredging of Nassau Harbour and other improvements on April 2, 2009. The work has now been essentially completed and an additional $2.3 million has been spent on additional bollards and improvements, Minister of Works Neko Grant announced while turning the facilities over to his colleague ministers for use.
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Hurricane Earl is now moving away from the northeastern Caribbean, its winds and rains having taken down power lines, left buildings roof-less and caused flooding on several islands.Carnival Cruise Lines, Royal Caribbean and NCL have announced storm-related itinerary changes.

Read more here.

Cruise ferry traffic to Grand Bahama Island is up 36 percent in the first seven months of 2010 compared to the same period of 2009, and a dramatic upswing in stopover visitors from the ferries has brought greater revenue to the island. Continue Reading

Click here to download and read the latest Cruise Industry Newsletter!

By CHESTER ROBARDS – Business Reporter – crobards@tribunemedia.net

THE MEGA Cruise Vessel Norwegian Epic pulled into Nassau Harbour yesterday promising around 4,000 more cruise visitors to the island per trip and bringing a possible $7.7 million in passenger spending through 2010.

Minister of Tourism, Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace, told this paper recently that the spending per visitor has been on the increase this year and although its actual level has yet to be calculated, the mean amount has traditionally been from $80 to $100 per person. And spending by crew who disembark a vessel, and other fees paid per passenger raises that number significantly. Continue Reading

Carnival Cruise Lines will introduce new seven-day eastern Caribbean cruise itineraries from Tampa and Jacksonville, Fla., in 2011. The cruises will be offered on the Carnival Legend from Tampa and Carnival Fascination from Jacksonville both of which are currently based at those ports but have never before offered these itineraries. Continue Reading

(11:30 a.m. EDT) — Texas has officially landed a sea monster. The 130,000-ton, 3,690-passenger Carnival Magic — due out in May 2011 as the second in Carnival Cruise Lines’ brand-new Dream class — will homeport in Galveston, following its maiden season in Europe. Continue Reading

Nassau, Bahamas – A better experience provided to Nassau visitors has resulted in staggering increases in their on-island expenditure, government and cruise officials confirmed.

After a recent meeting with Minister of Tourism & Aviation Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace and Minister of the Environment Earl Deveaux, Michele Paige, president of the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA), pointed out the substantial increases in the spending of cruise passengers to Nassau. The increases, she said were not coincidental. Continue Reading

Marina operators from throughout The Bahamas will meet in Nassau this week to discuss challenges and opportunities for positioning The Bahamas as one of the world’s leading marina destinations. The recently formed Marina Operators of The Bahamas (MOB) will hold its Annual General Meeting with a series of timely workshop sessions this Wednesday May 12, 2010, in cooperation with the Bahamas Hotel Association and the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and Aviation, at the British Colonial Hilton. Continue Reading

Building on the success of its first annual conference in 2008, the Bahamas International Maritime Conference and Trade Show (BIMCATS) 2010 seeks to unite industry professionals from all sectors of the maritime industry to make them aware of the boundless opportunities available in the Bahamas. Under the theme ‘The Maritime Sector and the Environment’, this year’s conference promises to be filled with opportunities for dialogue, debate and meaningful interaction by all who participate. BIMCATS 2010 is slated for February 9th – 12th, 2010 at the beautiful Our Lucaya Beach & Golf Resort in Freeport, Grand Bahama.

Click here to download a Maritime Conference Delegate Form, or:

For more information, visit http://bahamasinternationalmaritimeconference.com

With more than 19,000 total square feet of space catering to children, ’tweens and teens – from expansive indoor and outdoor play areas to a sprawling aqua park housing the cruise industry’s longest water slide – the 130,000-ton Carnival Dream is designed as the ideal family vacation. Continue Reading

The Ministry of Tourism & Aviation has mounted a proactive plan to prepare frontline workers for the arrival of the world’s largest cruise ships to Nassau Harbour.

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By JUAN MCCARTNEY,Guardian Senior Reporter,juan@nasguard.com

The government yesterday committed to spending more than $75 million to undertake the redevelopment of Nassau Harbour, Prince George and Woodes Rogers Wharfs and Arawak Cay. Continue Reading

Mar 16, 2009 By: David Eisen

Florida’s got a new cruise line in town. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports that Celebration Cruise Line will begin operations out of Port Everglades on Monday, making three-day voyages to Nassau, the Bahamas.

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