There was no bigger presence at this past week’s Seatrade cruise industry conference in Miami than that of the Caribbean. 

The collection of Caribbean cruise ports was the liveliest, most energetic center of the show, which is the leading global cruise industry event. 

That included contingents from the US Virgin Islands to Antigua and Barbuda and Turks and Caicos, all of whom made the trip to the Miami Beach Convention Center in a strong show of the region’s cruising comeback. 

Particularly noteworthy was the boisterous performance of the US Virgin Islands’ team of entertainers, which included the destination’s signature mono jumbie stilt walker, easily the most popular attraction on the show floor during the week. 

“The entire tourism sector, and particularly our cruise partners, have had an extremely difficult journey over the past 18 months,” said Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Minister Charles Fernandez, who led a contingent that included Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority CEO Colin C. James. “The fact that the Seatrade Cruise Global Conference is taking place this year albeit as a hybrid of in-person and virtual meetings; it brings a positive element of hope to the industry and faith in its ability to recover in an impactful way for the success of all partners.”

Cruising returned to the Caribbean in earnest in June and has continued to climb back, with more cruise sectors relaunching in destinations like St Kitts and Nevis and Barbados, among others. 

The Caribbean contingent also included delegations from the Guadeloupe Islands, Panama, Jamaica and others. 

— CJ