Tag Archives: cruise passengers

Port Canaveral Breaks Record with 6.8 Million Cruise Passengers in 2023

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Capt. John Murray, Port Canaveral CEO, delivered the annual State of Port address on November 8 at Cruise Terminal 1.

The world’s busiest cruise port, Port Canaveral, set an all-time high with 6.8 million cruise passengers in financial year 2023.

The port homeported 13 ships and received 906 ship calls, according to a press release.

Port Canaveral’s operational income reached an unprecedented $191 million, including a record-breaking $158 million from cruise operations, he said.

“This Port is an economic powerhouse in the state of Florida,” Murray said. “Central Florida benefits immensely from our operations, with numerous jobs created, businesses thriving, and increased tourism. We play a crucial role in supporting Florida’s tourism industry.”

In 2024 the port is expected to homeport 13 cruise ships, hosting 7.3 million passengers and anticipating 913 ship calls. In order to handle the growing cruise traffic, the Port will dedicate $78 million from its Fiscal Year 2024 Capital Projects budget to Port-wide parking improvements.

Additional improvements will include a new camp store, pavilion renovations, road paving, and RV site upgrades at the Port’s Jetty Park.

“We’re very excited for the future,” Murray said. “We have some great assets coming online in the next few years and a lot of surprises for the business as a whole.”

Amsterdam bans cruise ships to limit visitors and curb pollution

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Costa Medditrannia berthed in Amsterdam photo credit Spacejunkie2 (Flickr)

Amsterdam’s council has banned cruise ships from the city centre as the Dutch capital tries to limit visitor numbers and curb pollution.

Politicians said the vessels were not in line with the city’s sustainable ambitions.

It means the central cruise terminal on the River IJ near Amsterdam’s main train station will close.

It is the latest measure to clamp down on mass tourism in the city.

Cruise ships have become a symbol of the problem, with more than 100 mooring in the capital every year.

The council has been trying to scrub up the city, banning cannabis smoking on the streets of the red-light district.

In March the city launched an online campaign urging young British men considering holding their bachelor parties in Amsterdam to stay away.

Amsterdam has become a victim of its own popularity, attracting 20 million annual visitors – some drawn by its party city reputation.

“Cruise ships in the centre of the city don’t fit in with Amsterdam’s task of cutting the number of tourists,” said Ilana Rooderkerk of the liberal D66 party, which runs the city along with the Labour party and environmentalists.

Ms Rooderkerk recently compared cruise tourists to a type of “plague of locusts” descending all at once on the city.

Iconic buildings in Amsterdam are great for Photographers credit Spacejunkie2 (Flickr)Other Amsterdam officials have baulked at that kind of language. But Mayor Femke Halsema complained last year that cruise tourists were let loose for a couple of hours, ate at international chains and had no time to visit a museum, consuming the city but doing little for it.

The other key reason for removing cruise ships is to lower air pollution levels in Amsterdam. A 2021 study of one big cruise ship found that it had produced the same levels of nitrogen oxides (NOx) in one day as 30,000 trucks.

Other mooring sites away from the city centre have been under consideration for some time but no decision has yet been taken.

In a separate development, Amsterdam has announced plans to beef up night-time culture for young people.

The city has outlined its aim to find nightclub locations such as disused tunnels and garages to develop the talent of “creative young people who want to organise something at night”.

St. Vincent and the Grenadines Lifts COVID Restrictions for Cruise Passengers

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The Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines has removed COVID protocols for cruise passengers for the 2022-23 season, according to a press release.

Carlos James, the tourism minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, made the announcement to stakeholders this week, during the 28th Florida Caribbean Cruise Association Conference in the Dominican Republic.

“In spite of the many challenges encountered in the last two cruise seasons, from a global health pandemic to the eruption of our country’s La Soufriere volcano, your strategic partnership allowed us to navigate those turbulent times,” commented James on the decision.

In addition, the tourism minister assured stakeholders and leaders in the cruise industry that St. Vincent and the Grenadines will be risk-free and safe to visit during the 2022–2023 cruise season.

Following a period of low infections globally and low COVID-related admissions to the island’s medical facilities, St. Vincent and the Grenadines has decided to relax its health protocols for arriving cruise passengers, claims the tourism minister.

The multi-island State put protocols in place to help cruise travellers during the most recent cruise season, including safe zones set up for vaccinated cruise travellers. St. Vincent and the Grenadines will replace these protocols with more relaxed health regulations for the upcoming 2022–2023 cruise season, allowing unvaccinated passengers to visit the area for the first time in two years.