By the Caribbean Journal staff

After an impressive recovery from Hurricane Irma in 2018, St Maarten is expecting another big year for its all-important cruise industry in 2019.

And Port St Maarten is hitting the ground running, with six ships coming to the destination on Jan. 2, with a total of 31,000 cruise passengers in port.

That will include visits by Allure of the Seas, Azura, Royal Princess, AIDAdiva, MSC Preziosa, and Costa Pacifica.

On Jan. 1, St Maarten got a visit from the MS Braemar, which brought in 929 passengers and 371 crew.

“The New Year will continue to see high cruise ship numbers as the destination continues to recover and grow the cruise tourism product in 2019,” Port St Maarten management said in a statement. “All cruise stakeholders have a role to play in order to maintain the attraction of the destination to cruise passengers and crew.”

— CJ