The Tribune

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

Nassau Cruise Port executives yesterday voiced optimism that Monday’s visit by Ritz-Carlton’s first “large yacht” will expand into multiple calls that diversify its vessel mix and bring higher-spending visitors to downtown.

Marques Williams, the Prince George Wharf operator’s operations manager, told Tribune Business the Evrima’s call was the first scheduled visit by a vessel whose passengers’ typical per capita spending of $5,000-$7,000 per voyage far exceeded those of typical cruise visitors.

“That was actually their second call,” he explained. “They came in on an emergency because of the weather before. They were excited and love what we’re doing here with the facility. This is not a one-off. It’s going to be part of a series of calls they will be making. They have itineraries that take them to other parts of The Bahamas.”

The Nassau Cruise Port is in the final months of its $300m transformation, which has increased its berth capacity and ability to accommodate the world’s largest cruise ships such as the Oasis class, in addition to upgrading the Bahamian capital’s waterfront by adding attractions such as a Junkanoo Museum and amphitheatre. The enhancements are intended to serve as a catalyst for the wider regeneration of Bay Street and downtown Nassau.

Mr Williams said he had not been provided with any call schedule yet by Ritz-Carlton, for which the Evrima is the first of a three-strong fleet. “What we were told yesterday is that Ritz-Carlton is investing in more of these large luxury yachts,” he added. “They alluded that they will be bringing more to our facility. It’s pretty exciting for us.

“The ship has the make-up and interior of a cruise ship, but has the feel of a yacht. It’s very unique in that aspect. We have a number of luxury cruises that come, and this will be an addition to that.” Mr Williams said the Ritz-Carlton vessel has a double occupancy capacity of 314 passengers.

“They haven’t provided us with the itinerary that they are using, but they have a number of calls with us this month and next month, and they have a few more later in the year,” he told Tribune Business. “Based on what the captain told me, he has to create an itinerary in and around The Bahamas. Their one-week itinerary is almost twice the length of a standard cruise, and spend runs anywhere from $5,000-$7,000 per person, per week.”

Michael Maura, Nassau Cruise Port’s chief executive, said the Ritz-Carlton-branded vessel’s arrival and future plans were “wonderful for a couple of reasons”. While the port’s main customer base will still be the larger, traditional cruise lines such as Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Disney, Norwegian Cruise Line and Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), the smaller ship gives it berthing flexibility.

It can be berthed at the same location as one of the larger cruise vessels, and Mr Maura explained: “It gives us the ability to accommodate two vessels at the same time.” Then there was the higher per capita spending by Ritz-Carlton passengers compared to those on other cruise ships.

“The spend by each of the passengers on the ship is typically higher than a typical cruise passenger spends,” he told Tribune Business. “The downtown commercial residents will start to gain a lot more per person from Ritz-Carlton guests, which is no different from me staying at the Rosewood as opposed to the Hyatt. We have that going on at Nassau Cruise Port.”

Mr Maura previously said the platform to drive increased economic benefits for Bahamians was in place with cruise passenger numbers forecast to increase by 27.6 percent year-over-year in 2023. “Nassau Cruise Port finished the year with 3.313m passengers arriving on 1,140 ships,” he revealed of 2022, the first full year of post-COVID recovery for the cruise industry.

“Cruise traffic in 2019 to Nassau broke all previous records, with 3.85m passengers arriving on 1,206 ships, making it an exciting target for 2023. Comparisons to vessel and passenger counts reveal that 2022 had 5.5 percent fewer vessel calls than 2019, but 1 percent more than in 2018, while passenger volumes were 17 percent and 11 percent under 2019 and 2018, respectively.

“January 2022 began with vessel occupancy of 45 percent or the month’s ships averaging 1,148 passengers. By June 2022, vessel occupancy had climbed to 102 percent with ships averaging 3.312 passengers per call.” While increasing per capita cruise passenger spend will take some time, and not be accomplished in one year, Mr Maura said cruise ship berthings for 2023 are “solid”.

The 4.1m passengers forecast to arrive at Prince George’s Wharf in 2023 will exceed 2019’s performance by some 6.5 percent, while vessel calls are ahead by 3.6 percent or close to 50. “Our confirmed bookings are well ahead of 2019, and 2019 has been the benchmark as the record year that The Bahamas and Nassau enjoyed for most vessel calls and passengers ever having landed in the capital,” Mr Maura told this newspaper.

“And the 2022 fourth quarter marked the end of the recovery with total passenger volumes of 989,285 compared with 986,641 [in 2019]. It provided us with a passenger count around 13,000 higher than in 2019. It is definitely the springboard for what we will see in 2023. Our passenger forecasts for 2023 are over 4.1m and vessel calls are approximately 1,250, which will materially exceed 2019 for both counts.”