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Honduras President Lobo dedicates Banana Coast Port

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations; Published: 15 June 2013 15 June 2013

President Porfirio Lobo Sosa presided at a dedication ceremony yesterday for Banana Coast, the first mainland cruise destination to be developed in Honduras. The dedication ceremony also recognized the founding of the city of Trujillo 488 years ago on May 18, 1525, during the Spanish colonial era.

The highlight of the event was the unveiling of a plaque honoring the previous landowners who made the port project possible.

"To have the first Caribbean mainland cruise port open in the place of my birth is very gratifying to me personally," said Lobo. "I am honored to have played a role in the birth of an industry that will provide a future for the people of the region for years to come."

"It is appropriate that the dedication of the new cruise port also celebrates the founding of Trujillo," said Mayor Jose Antonio Lainez. "It symbolizes both the resilience of the citizens of Trujillo and the future potential of this historic city."

"Without the cooperation of the many land owners and their families, this project would not have been possible," said Randy Jorgensen, general manager of Grande Trujillo Authoridad. "This spirit has been taken up by the citizens of Trujillo, making Banana Coast a very welcoming destination for cruise ships."

Themed "Where the Rainforest Meets the Sea," the $30 million Banana Coast project is the newest cruise destination in the western Caribbean. Construction on the passenger-reception and shopping center was completed in February and a full slate of shore excursions for cruise passengers has been designed.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the port development was held in March 2011, with construction of the facility beginning in August 2011.

Banana Coast has signed Holland America Line as the first cruise line to schedule regular calls at the new port. Holland America Line's 1,260-passenger Ryndam is slated to call at Banana Coast 11 times beginning Nov. 19, 2014 -- Banana Coast's first scheduled visit by a cruise ship -- followed by the Dec. 17, 2014, call from Silversea Cruises' Silver Cloud and Oceania Cruises' Riviera, which is slated to call in 2015.

Martinique to welcome Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations; Published: 14 June 2013 14 June 2013

The Martinique Tourism Authority has announced that Martinique has been chosen as a port-of-call for the inaugural 2014 season of Royal Caribbean’s trend setting new vessel, the Quantum of the Seas.

“Quantum of the Seas is a wonderful addition to next year’s winter cruise season. We are thrilled to welcome one of the largest ships of the world and show its guests all that Martinique has to offer,” said Karine Roy-Camille, Martinique’s Tourism Commissioner.

Martinique has worked very hard to make great strides in the cruise industry and bring in new lines. Pointe Simon cruise terminal has been expanded and it can now welcome even the largest cruise vessels in the world. Cruise business has been steadily increasing, and Royal Caribbean’s announcement shows that cruise tourists want to experience not only the beauty of Martinique but also its unique French and Creole culture. Royal Caribbean has increased its number of port-of-calls from last season to this season and plans to continue to increase its number of calls in the coming years.

Quantum of the Seas will call in the heart of downtown Fort-de-France, Martinique’s capital city, lauded as one of the most beautiful bays in the world. When it comes to European shopping, Fort-de-France is the place to visit. Fort-de-France also boasts many historical monuments, a lovely promenade called the Malecon, local markets and superb cuisine.

Australian government grants AUD13 million to Norfolk Island cruise infrastructure

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations; Published: 09 June 2013 09 June 2013

The Australian Government has announced a AUD13 million infrastructure grant to Norfolk Island, which will include a jetty and other facilities that will make cruise calls to this gem of the South Pacific more certain, P&O Cruises Australia said on Facebook.

“The infrastructure grant is a positive step that will also ensure the Norfolk Island economy shares in the benefits of cruising,” the company said.

Norfolk Island is located north of New Zealand and it is a self governing territory within the Commonwealth of Australia. Its land area is 34.6sqkm and its population is in the region of 2,300.

Cruise Copenhagen Network focuses on new strategy to increase cruise guests to one million by 2015

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations; Published: 07 June 2013 07 June 2013

The recent annual Cruise Copenhagen Network (CCN) General Assembly - held at the Danish capital’s Tivoli Gardens – attracted an attendance of over 60 partners, who gathered together not only to review and evaluate 2012 activity but also to discuss a new and innovative 3-year strategy for ‘the way forward’ looking to 2015.

The overview of 2012 activity highlighted significant successes, including: the design of newly-branded marketing material for 2013 and the enrolment of three new CCN partners, the Designmuseum Danmark, Vedde Turistfart and the Port of Hundested.

To assist with plans for strengthening the CCN strategy over the next three years, a Panel was formed to discuss and identify the best direction for ‘the way forward’. Those participants included: Janus Krarup – Municipality of Copenhagen, Arnt Møller Petersen – CMP, Nick Courtney – BDP, Henrik Bendix – Strömma, Allan Agerholm – Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Towers, Karim Nielsen – Brøchner Hotels, Jesper Thomas Møller – Christiansborg and Kronborg Castle, Lars Bech – VisitAalborg

Says Bo Larsen, CCN Director: “We shall continue to strive to become the industry’s best organized destination network and target all new opportunities which exist. However, whilst we are very proud of our achievements to date, we have to be realistic and address head on the considerable challenges, which face us in Copenhagen. These range from the current tough economic environment, our relatively short season cancel short season and the legislative issues in the Baltic Sea region, to how to improve infrastructure and logistics for our cruise passengers – especially with the completion next year of a new pier and terminal buildings. We need to protect existing business at the same time as target new, looking at growing international source markets such as Australia.

“Through our efforts we anticipate an average passenger growth of 5-7% by 2015, however, we have to focus on enhancing both the quality of the Copenhagen experience and collaboration at destination level. We aim to achieve these goals by being more assertive, combining cruise intelligence and the knowledge of our partners – particularly those in the commercial product sector, shops, hotels etc.. - with making innovative improvements.”

In recognition of his commitment to the Danish cruise industry and his innovative solutions on behalf of the Cruise Copenhagen Network, Luis De Carvalho from Consult DC was recognised at the Assembly as CCN’s ‘Most Valuable Partner 2012’.

Six percent increase in cruise passenger throughput at Valencia in January-May

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations; Published: 05 June 2013 05 June 2013

ACCIONA Trasmediterranea, Valencia’s cruise port manager, has reported, on 24 June 2013, that in the first five months of this year there had been 74 cruise calls at the port of Valencia, 12 more than the same period last year. Alan Lam reports.

The total passenger number for the period from January to May reached 140,000, representing a 6% increase on 132,000 of 2012. During the month of May alone the port welcomed 31 cruise calls.

Under the ACCIONA management, the port of Valencia has been attracting a good deal of attention from major cruise lines.

Analysts believe that a number of reasons may be attributed to the popularity of Valencia in a depressed market. While the recent investment on the terminal upgrade may have been an obvious appeal, the cruise operators’ itinerary planning based on “more ports and shorter distance” in the light of high fuel prices is a major factor. We expect this trend to continue for the foreseeable future.