St Kitts will be reopening its popular cruise port to cruise ships this summer, beginning with the return of Seabourn Odyssey, Caribbean Journal has confirmed.
Seabourn will be sailing seven-day itineraries beginning in late July, with additional planned stops in Antigua, Barbados, the British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia and St. Maarten.
It’s the first scheduled port call for St Kitts’ phased reopening of the cruise tourism sector, according to Tourism Minister Lindsay Grant.
“We look forward to welcoming Seabourn Odyssey to St. Kitts,” Grant said. “The benefits of the cruise industry have been vital to the economies of St. Kitts & Nevis and we are delighted to welcome our first vessel back, as we begin our phased approach to resume cruise tourism. It has been a long 13 months and the re-opening of cruise signals the continued rebuilding of tourism and our economy. We see our cruise industry returning with a fervor and we are working hard to ensure it happens safely, proficiently and promptly.”
St Kitts has established a set of minimum protocols for cruise ships entering the country, including the requirement that all crew and passengers over the age of 18 be vaccinated, while all passengers, crew and children under the age of 18 must present a negative test within 72 hours of homeport embarkation.
Only bubble-vaccinated tour and attractions will be offered to cruise passengers, and all personnel interacting with cruise operations, from ship agents to port staff and taxi operators, must also be vaccinated.
“We continue to work with our stakeholders on the resumption of cruise, just as we did for the phased reopening for stay over on Oct. 31st, 2020,” said Racquel Brown, CEO of the St. Kitts Tourism Authority. “Safety of our nationals, residents and visitor remains a top priority for us and we are working to ensure passengers can enjoy the exceptional and diverse attributes of the destination and can have a memorable shore experience while being confident in their safety.”
— CJ