| Basseterre, St. Kitts (30 January 2023) – Today, P&O cruise vessel “Arvia” made its inaugural cruise call to St. Kitts. The Authority continues to honor inaugural cruise calls, representing the consistent growth of the destination’s cruise sector. Arvia boasts of its excel class ship title operating with a capacity of 5,200 guests and 1,800 crew members. The cruise vessel measures 345m, 184,700 tons, and has 15 guest decks while offering a swim-up bar, fine-dining restaurants, multiple aqua-zones, and even an onboard blending rum class. “I am pleased to welcome Arvia to St. Kitts on its maiden cruise call,” shared Honourable Marsha T. Henderson, Minister of Tourism. “An inaugural P&O cruise vessel venturing to our destination is a direct result of recently held meetings with P&O in the latter period of 2022. These meetings heavily focused on strengthening our partnerships with the cruise lines to ensure that our industry can continue to thrive and develop. Expanding our cruise-line partnerships is paramount to providing job opportunities for our people, and we continue to take the necessary steps to achieve such.” The destination has built an impressive repertoire, having been recently recognized by FORBES magazine as a Top 5 Destination to keep on your radar in 2023. As such, cruise passengers could experience these sentiments for themselves by immersing in the destination’s adventurous excursion tours, such as ziplining, watersports, and rainforest hikes. Their visit was also coupled with culturally rich experiences through historical tours at Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park, Wingfield Estate, and Old Road Rum Distillery, to name a few. |
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| “Today, we welcome the second inaugural cruise call since the inception of the new year. We are incredibly proud to celebrate our maiden cruise calls to St. Kitts as it represents the stringent expansion of the sector and our cruise-line partnerships. The Authority stays committed to offering quality guest experiences and continues to ensure that these standards are accordingly maintained,” shared Mr. Ellison “Tommy” Thompson, Chief Executive Officer at the St. Kitts Tourism Authority. Cruise activity continues to blossom for the destination and is expected to punch above its weight in the coming months. |
