Basseterre, St. Kitts, December 06, 2018 (SKNIS): The MSC Preziosa, today, December 06, made its inaugural visit to the shores of St. Kitts and Nevis, making this the 4th first-time call for the 2018/2019 cruise season, which started in October.
During a brief ceremony to welcome the cruise liner, Minister of Tourism, the Honourable Lindsay Grant told the ship’s captain, Corrado Iaconis, that the country is appreciative of its first-time visit.
The cruise line has been expanding rapidly. Fifteen ships are currently in its fleet and an additional 10 are set to be launched shortly. The ship can accommodate 4,345 passengers and around 1,388 crew members. This is one of the biggest ships that the MSC has christened.
Minister Grant said that, with the installation of the second cruise pier at Port Zante, other MSC ships are welcome to visit and experience the island.
“We are building a brand new berthing facility that will take two of the largest ships in the world side-by-side. So we are trying to improve our facilities to ensure that when the MSC docks in the shores of our wonderful island, its ships will not only dock at a fantastic port, but St. Kitts will welcome them generally to our fantastic island,” said the minister.
The tourism minister said that St. Kitts will be welcoming this cruise year (2018/2019) 1.2 million cruise passengers with about 447 calls. He said that he hopes that the passengers from the MSC Preziosa will enjoy the island.
“So we are really growing and we have a lot to offer,” he said. “Really, we have three main things: our history, our culture and our people. We hope that your guests are able to interact with them in order for you to understand the beauty of the country is in the heart of the people.”
