“The Caribbean Is the Soul of Royal Caribbean”
The Caribbean Tourism Organization hosted a major summit with Royal Caribbean this month in Miami, gathering ministers and directors of tourism to talk about sustainability, sourcing and economic growth in the region.
The summit, held on Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas, was highlighted by a discussion with Michael Bayley, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean, moderated by Marketplace Excellence President Bevan Springer.
“The Caribbean is the soul of Royal Caribbean. About 60 percent of all our business is the Caribbean,” Bayley said.
Part of the agenda included a discussion of the potential for frameworks similar to the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, which could help more Caribbean nationals join the cruise workforce.
Another priority, Bayley said, was improving local sourcing in the Caribbean.
““It does require a lot of cooperation from the Ministry of Agriculture to work with the cruise lines to try and figure out how to create cooperatives to aggregate product so that we can purchase it … It takes time, commitment and focus, but we’re very open to that,” he said.
“This iconic summit underscores the power of partnerships and collaboration as we reimagine our approach to tourism development and deepen our engagement with the cruise industry,” said Dona Regis-Prosper, CEO and Secretary General of the CTO.
Caitlin Sullivan began her career with Caribbean Journal as Arts and Culture editor before shifting to travel full time. She writes frequently on the Caribbean cruise industry, flight networks and broader travel news. Her most frequent Caribbean destination? Nassau.
