Government has continued to embrace record-breaking cruise tourism numbers, giving cruise lines no “indication that they have reached their limit” in the territory, according to Communications and Works Minister Kye Rymer.
“We’ve partnered with the [Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association] so that we can get more numbers into our shores and make sure that the guest experience is where they intend to visit and come back again,” Mr. Rymer said last week during a press conference alongside senior executives from major cruise lines who were in the territory for a site visit. “Once we do a study and we see where there’s oversaturating in our territory, then we would try to do some limitation of the numbers coming to our shores.”
Besides Mr. Rymer and other VI officials, the May 14 press conference featured executives from Disney Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean Group, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings and the FCCA.
Though the visiting executives offered some pointed advice for the territory — urging it to diversify the tourism product and improve roads and other infrastructure, for example — they painted a picture of a booming cruise industry that plans to continue expanding in the VI.
“Your high number of [2016] was over 600,000 cruise passengers you reached,” said FCCA CEO Michele Paige. “This year, you’re forecasted to reach well over 800,000. Those are really good numbers, and we’re doing the economic impact study, and we’re going to be able to release those numbers in October of what passengers spend, what crew spends. So this is very good news for what you have done, and we’re only working hard to make it better in the British Virgin Islands.”
Carrying capacity?
During the question-and-answer segment of the press conference, the officials were asked if there are any concerns that the territory is approaching its upper limit, or carrying capacity, in terms of cruise passenger arrivals.
FCCA Operations Committee Chairman Dan Farkas, who is an executive vice president and general counsel for Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, responded, “Our itinerary planning people work with our local agents. So I believe the numbers that we’re talking about do not exceed that.”
Asked in a follow-up question if he knew the carrying capacity for the territory, Mr. Farkas answered, “No, I don’t, which is why I’m saying I’m relying on the ports and our port authorities to work with that.”
Ms. Paige interjected that there “are no numbers” for carrying capacity here — confirming information provided last month by Mr. Rymer — but she emphasised the importance of ensuring that tourists are well dispersed to avoid overcrowding at “particular attractions.”
“If you spread people around to do a broad range of things, then there should not be anything that is oversaturated,” Ms. Paige said. “But we look to the government to tell us what it is that is the carrying capacity — if something is being overtaxed.”
Private sector’s role
She added that the cruise industry also looks to the private sector to help alleviate this potential oversaturation.
“That’s one of the reasons why we’re here is to reach out to the private sector,” she said. “It’s the private sector that’s the lifeline to be able to provide that experience and to be able to spread people around.”
Bryan Attree, director of worldwide port operations for Royal Caribbean Group, added that the VI’s pier size limits cruise arrivals because the largest cruise ships cannot dock here.
“From our side of the business, we cannot bring overcapacity to you,” Mr. Attree said. “We can’t stress your environment because we cannot bring in those large megaships — like the largest ships in the world.”
He added that even if the largest ships could come to the VI, the cruise lines would first make sure the territory could handle the numbers.
“So you do have that safety valve in place,” he added. “However, looking at future deployment and future conversations — berth expansion, dredging — we actively get into those conversations with the destination. Just because a vessel [such as] an Oasis class can call to a destination, we sometimes don’t go because we know that the destination cannot handle it. We do not want to have overcrowding at the destination.”
‘Frustration’
The cruise executives also spoke about meetings held with taxi operators and other cruise industry stakeholders earlier in their visit.
Ms. Paige described the meetings as productive in opening new lines of communication.
“One of the things I think that we established is the relationship is really between cruise lines, the taxi drivers and the tour operators, while the government and the Ports Authority facilitate the relationship,” she said.
Mr. Farkas acknowledged that he “felt a sense of frustration” from some of the stakeholders at the meetings.
“I think there needs to be a sense of self determination [among taxi drivers and tour operators],” Mr. Farkas said. “There needs to be an open dialogue.”
He added that such communication can allow frustrations to be “easily resolved.”
Mr. Rymer agreed that open dialogue is key, and he noted that the poor state of the roads is one of the frustrations the government is currently working to address.
“We know we have work to do, especially with the infrastructure,” Mr. Rymer said. “It is no secret. We live here; we experience it, and it’s the same for the guests.”
He added that this work will take time.
“As a government, we have committed to getting the roads repaired and so forth,” he said. “It is not going to be [that] you click your finger and it will be done, but we are working on it. And most definitely we will see some changes hopefully for the upcoming season.”
At another point during the press conference, Mr. Farkas stressed the importance of such work from the cruise lines’ perspective, referring to the territory’s roads as a “distraction to the beauty” of the islands.
“Our taxi driver from the airport to the hotel had to play a little dodgeball with the potholes,” he said.
Norwegian rumours
Mr. Farkas also dispelled what he claimed was a rumour that recently circulated in the VI that Norwegian was pulling out of the territory.
He explained that the rumour arose after the cruise line — which he said makes up 40 percent of the VI’s calls — cancelled five visits in May and June due to mechanical issues with a ship.
“I am here to reiterate to everybody in this room, and to everybody at the BVI, that Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings is committed to this country, to this island, to its people,” Mr. Farkas said. “And, in fact, this year we will bring you 250,000 passengers. Next year we will bring you almost 400,000.”