By: Spokesman Newsroom
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts (Friday 10th September 2021) — Tourism Minister Lindsay Grant, speaking at a press conference on Monday 6th September 2021, described the scheduled arrival of Celebrity Equinox at Port Zante on Thursday 14th September 2021 as a critical test of St. Kitts-Nevis’s cruise industry rebuilding efforts. The vessel will be the first large ship to call at Port Zante since March 2020, arriving with over 1,400 passengers under COVID-19 protocols. “The realization of the call in October and the future calls depends very heavily on the success of the Celebrity Equinox’s visit. The success of this call will be our success as a nation and is critical to our rebuilding efforts,” Grant said.
During the first phase, guests will not be permitted to integrate into society — Port Zante itself will become a bubble during the cruise ship docking. Vessels will explore the destination via Travel Approved, fully vaccinated tours only. All individuals interacting with cruise ship guests — including SCASPA security, customs, immigration, retail operators, vendors, taxi and tour operators, bus operators and attraction site employees — must have completed the Travel Approved training facilitated by the St. Kitts Tourism Authority and the Ministry of Health, and must be fully vaccinated. “We are craving your indulgence, understanding and patience during this time as we seek to implement strategies to assist our stakeholders who have been closed for the past 18 months. We know you are anxious to get back out to work but we must continue with a plan that balances safety and economics. Slow and steady is the current approach as we are in our first phase of our rebuilding strategy,” Grant said.