Carnival Cruise Line passenger arrivals in the Cayman Islands are projected to fall by nearly a quarter of a million in 2013, the Ministry of Tourism learned late in December.

On Friday December 21, 2012, the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) informed the Ministry of the changes by telephone.

The FCCA cited as the cause of the reduction a desire not to have the Carnival Breeze serviced by cruise tender. Various cruise-ships have also been re-allocated to Roatan, Honduras and toEuropean routes.

This desire on the part of cruise lines to not have certain ships serviced by cruise tender illustrates the need for proper berthing facilities.  Tourism Minister Hon. Cline Glidden has consulted with His Excellency the Governor on this matter. His Excellency made clear that he has no objection to the proposal to develop cruise ship berthing facilities, indeed he supports it, so long as procurement procedures are in line with international best practice and are transparent and robust.

The public should be aware that this decrease in Carnival Cruise Line passenger arrivals is forecasted to be offset somewhat by increases from other cruise lines.  The Port Authority web site states that scheduled calls for 2013 are at 508 and projected total cruise passengers are approximately 1.4 million.  This increase by other cruise lines illustrates the value placed on the Cayman Islands as a jurisdiction of choice for cruise tourism.

Tourism Minister Hon. Cline Glidden stated that his Ministry will work closely with all stakeholders to mitigate the effects of the reduction in cruise ship arrivals. Mr Glidden adds that his Ministry will keep the public informed as this matter develops.