Above: Port Zante in Basseterre, St Kitts (CJ Photo)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

St Kitts is projecting to welcome 1 million cruise passengers in the 2014/2015 cruise season, according to the country’s tourist board.

That would represent a 31.5 percent increase over the 2013/2014 season, and a growth over the past eight years of 500 percent.

“The fact that we will be welcoming this record number of cruise passengers to St Kitts is a testament to the high quality of our tourism infrastructure and to the partnerships that our destination has forged with industry stakeholders,” said Tourism Minister Ricky Skerritt. “Our performance must be examined against the backdrop of the development of a wealth of onshore activities based on our nature, rich history, and friendly people who help provide an authentic Caribbean experience for all of our visitors.”

The growth comes in part due to the six calls the island will receive from Royal Caribbean International’s soon-to-be-inaugurated Quantum of the Seas.

Disney Cruise Line will also be returning to the island for the first time since 2009, among other cruise ship calls.