The Carnival Venezia, commanded by Crescenzo Palomba, berthed last Saturday, marking the start of Barbados’ winter cruise season for 2023–2024.
Ian Gooding-Edghill, Minister of Tourism and International Transport, greeted Captain Palomba and his entourage of over 1,300 people on the island. He was happy that the first ship call of the winter cruise season was made.
“We think having the first vessel call into Barbados is a fantastic opportunity for us. Naturally, cruise travel accounts for a sizable portion of the island’s economy, according to Mr Gooding-Edghill.
He congratulated Carnival Cruise Lines for being a dedicated partner to the destination and mentioned how the company has been a long-time cruise partner of Barbados.
According to Minister Gooding-Edghill, Barbados is a popular destination, as evidenced by the fact that cruise ships include the island on their itineraries. He declared, “This represents economic growth for Barbados and strengthens our standing as a top travel destination.”
The Minister of Tourism revealed that Barbados’ current estimates for the 2018 winter cruise season are 392 cruise calls with an expected 715,527 passengers, up from 358 calls with 608,583 passengers for the previous season.