By the Caribbean Journal staff

The British Virgin Islands is seeing a significant improvement in cruise numbers the territory’s Ports Authority reported.

The BVI received 32,133 cruise passenger arrivals in October, up 487 percent year over year.

By comparison, the territory received 5,465 cruise passenger arrivals in October 2014, and 4,098 in October 2013.

“The vast increase in our October 2015 arrivals speak directly to the benefits derived from our enhanced cruise pier and upland development,” said Claude Skelton-Cline, Managing Director at the BVI Ports Authority. “The cruise tourism industry is growing rapidly and I am proud to say that our new cruise facilities are more than equipped to meet the growing demand of the industry. We look forward to a fantastic cruise season as we continue to welcome an increased number of ships to our shores and will continue to work closely with our partner cruise lines to ensure continued sustainable growth.”

The arrival boom is a result of the territory’s much-heralded pier enhancement project.

This week was the first time that the BVI had three ships berth at the pier.