By the Caribbean Journal staff

St Kitts’ Port Zante just set a new record for cruise passenger arrivals, welcoming its 1 millionth passenger of 2018 in just the seventh month of the year.

Officials said the milestone gave the island “marquee port status for the first time in its history.”

“I am deeply gratified to welcome over one million cruise passengers to our shores as of today,” said St Kitts Tourism Minister Lindsay Grant. “It is particularly significant that this historic occasion is taking place now, as we have over two months left in the 2017-2018 cruise season to increase arrivals even further. Reaching this milestone at this point in time is truly a testament to the strength of our relationships with the cruise lines and to the continuing appeal of our tourism product.”

St Kitts set the new record with the arrival of guests from Royal Caribbean International’s Freedom of the Seas cruise ship.

 “In the highly competitive Caribbean cruise marketplace, exceeding the million passenger mark for the first time is a highly significant achievement that is a direct result of our successful marketing strategy,” said St Kitts Tourism Authority CEO Racquel Brown. “Having reached this benchmark, St. Kitts is now considered by the cruise lines to be in the same elite port status category as much larger destinations in the region. Cruise passengers clearly enjoy our diverse range of activities and friendly, welcoming people, and we are working hard to ensure that we keep the ships and their guests returning to our shores.”

So far this season, Royal Caribbean’s umbrella of cruise brands has brought 102 port calls and more than 350,000 cruise visitors to the island.

— CJ