usvi st thomas st croix cruise
Russell Benford, vice president of government relations, the Americas, for Royal Caribbean Group; Alani Henneman, U.S. Virgin Islands Assistant Commissioner; and Joseph Boschulte, U.S. Virgin Islands Commissioner of Tourism.
News

St Thomas, St Croix Seeing Strong Cruise Growth 

By: Caribbean Journal Staff - April 4, 2023

Both St Thomas and St Croix in the United States Virgin Islands are seeing continued cruise growth, according to new data from the USVI Department of Tourism. 

St Thomas received more than 1.6 million cruise passengers through its two ports last year, with an additional 200,000 cruise passengers anticipated this year. 

St Croix, itself one of the fastest-growing cruise ports in the Caribbean, had 100,000 passengers arrive last year with a projected increase of 80 percent in 2023. 

Almost all of the major cruise lines sailing to the Caribbean have resumed docking in St Thomas — meaning an anticipated increase of nearly 650,000 new travelers in 2023. 

usvi
The exuberant USVI booth at Seatrade.

The data were shared during the recent Seatrade Cruise Global conference in Fort Lauderdale, which included a delegation from the USVI Department of Tourism led by USVI Governor Albert Bryan and Commissioner of Tourism Joseph Boschulte, who participated in the keynote panel on the State of Global Tourism. 

“During the pandemic in June 2020, the Governor and the health team opened our borders and invited guests back, so the USVI experienced strong overnight hotel stays at that time,” Boschulte said. “However, one of the biggest differences was not having the cruise ships which had been the anchor for our tourism economy for decades. Now, we are happy to report that the cruise business is back, and passenger volume is expected to reach pre-Covid 2019 levels by the end of this year.” 

Over the four-day event, members representing the Department of Tourism and the Virgin Islands Port Authority meet with key representatives from the cruise industry, vendors, and media.

Tourism makes up 60 percent of the GDP of the USVI Boschulte said. 

“Its impact on the entire economy is enormous,” he said. 

Popular Posts all-inclusive montego bay resort by marriott

Marriott Just Opened Its New All-Inclusive Resort in Montego Bay 

Marriott has continued its rapid expansion into the Caribbean all-inclusive space with the debut of its newest adults-only resort in Montego Bay: the new Hideaway at Royalton Blue Waters, An Autograph Collection All-Inclusive Resort.  The 352-room resort is part of […]


Yes, You Can Stay at an All-Inclusive Resort in St Thomas, USVI

the beach at the bolongo bay resort

The Bolongo Bay Beach Resort on St. Thomas may be the most popular all-inclusive resort you’ve never heard of. It’s not that the resort itself isn’t well-known: this family-run and managed, beach resort has been in business since 1974. But […]


The 15 Best Spa Resorts in the Caribbean

como parrot cay

Resort spas have become almost as common as fitness centers on amenity lists, but while it’s simple enough to carve out some space for a few treatment rooms, there are some spas that offer a true “experience” to go along […]


Related Posts st barth car rental

The Ultimate Car Rental in St Barth 

The Caribbean’s most glamorous island is also home to some of its most stunning places to drive: the winding, switchback, cliffside roads of St Barth.  While much of the island’s traffic is filled up by smaller hatchbacks, scooters, Renault Twizys […]


JetBlue Is Launching Its First-Ever Belize Flights Next Month

belize american airlines daily

JetBlue is now flying to a new destination: the rainforest-filled, reef-lined, beach-covered hotspot of Belize.  The increasingly popular getaway on the Caribbean coast of Mexico will soon be served by nonstop service from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport.  […]


Frontier Airlines Just Restarted This Nonstop Flight to Cancun 

riu cancun

Another day, another Frontier Airlines flight to Cancun. The fast-growing carrier has restarted another nonstop route to the Mexican Caribbean hotspot, this time with daily nonstop service from Detroit.  Detroit-Cancun flights are now operating once every day, with intro fares […]


SUBSCRIBE!

Sign up for Caribbean Journal's free newsletter for a daily dose of beaches, hotels, rum and the best Caribbean travel information on the net.


No. Thank You