Gasper George, General Manager of Antigua Cruise Port
The Antigua Cruise Ports is inviting the public to take part in the second edition of its Cruise Connects initiative, scheduled for September 16 at the Royalton Resort.
General Manager of the Antigua Cruise Port Gasper George says the initiative aims to bring the entire cruise community together under one roof, providing a platform to share key data about the destination, ongoing projects, cruise statistics, and other sector-related information.
Launched last year, the first edition of Cruise Connects took place at the John E. St. Luce building, where stakeholders discussed the growth, challenges, and future of cruise tourism in Antigua and Barbuda.
The event featured a two-session format, with a morning session dedicated to information sharing and discussion.
The inaugural session attracted a diverse group of participants directly engaged with cruise passengers, including taxi and tour operators, Heritage Quay vendors and tenants, national security, customs and immigration officials, members of the Antigua and Barbuda Hospitality Association, the Ministry of Legal Affairs, representatives from the Antigua and Barbuda Department of Marine Services (ADOMS), and students from the University of the West Indies Five Islands Campus.
This year, organizers plan to expand the programme to three sessions, each providing detailed insights into the cruise sector, maintaining the event’s focus on collaboration, information sharing, and sector-wide engagement.
I hope they answer to the call
It’s good to invite the public, but let’s also make sure real action follows. Consultations only work if ideas from the people are taken seriously and implemented.
This is usually just fanfare and a situation where young people get involved for a day abd their ideas are never taken seriously. Hope its different this year
Will the public have the opportunity to share their ideas or will they just be there to fill the room and listen.
I would love to attend cause I have a few ideas myself.
I eagerly look forward to the finished project
Love that they’re opening the doors to everyone, from tour guides to customs officers. Real tourism growth only happens when the entire ecosystem is included in the conversation.
Cruise tourism is growing, but vendors at Heritage Quay are still complaining about low spending. Will that be addressed this year, or are we just hearing statistics again?