Above: Governor John de Jongh with cruise executives last week in St Croix (Photo: OG USVI)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

A high-level team of executives met last week in St Croix for a high-level cruise industry conference.

The group was on the island in the US Virgin Islands to discuss potential cruise opportunities for St Croix, according to a statement from the office of Governor John de Jongh.

The officials included Michele Paige, president of the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association, Federico Gonzalez-Denton of Royal Caribbean Cruise Line and Larry Stauffer of Disney Cruise Line, among others.

The cruise industry accounts for over $340 million in revenue to the US Virgin Islands’ economy, according to de Jongh, employing roughly 6,500 people directly or indirectly.

The visit came within the context of a Platinum Associate Member Advisory Council Conference of the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association.

“We’d like to thank the people of the Virgin Islands for the warmth they extend to our passengers and a special thanks to St. Croix for hosting our conference,” Paige said. “Our gratitude also goes out to the territory’s government for recognizing the importance of infrastructure development – because without infrastructure it would be very tough for us to come here.”

The conference included more than 150 delegates.