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Antigua Government retains Global Destinations Development for cruise port fitness test study

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations; Published: 07 April 2012 07 April 2012

It was announced on April 4 at a press conference in Antigua that Saint John's Development Corporation has retained Miami-based http://www.globaldd.com/ to conduct its trademarked Cruise Destination Fitness Test for the Antigua and Barbuda government. Work began April 2 on the test, which will assess the Port of Antigua and Heritage Quay.

Established in February 1986, the St. John's Development Corporation, which falls under the Ministry of Tourism headed by the Hon. John Maginley, is the government department responsible for the enhancement and development of the City of St. John's, the principle commercial center of Antigua and Barbuda.

In addressing the need Minister Maginley stated, "I am very pleased to be able to allocate funding for the major part of this study in support of St. John's Development Corporation's joint plan with the Ministry of Tourism to chart a plan for our Cruise Business Development over the next 15 to 20 years."

Chairman of Saint John's Development Corp. Sylvester Brown said, "We plan to use the findings of the test to determine physical improvements to make Antigua an even more attractive destination for cruise lines."

Created by Michael Greve, president of Global Destinations Development, the Cruise Destination Fitness Test provides a realistic assessment of a port's prospects in the industry, including recommendations for improvement. The test analyzes major attributes that contribute to a cruise destination's success, including geographic location, docks, condition of the town, marketing attractiveness to cruisers and travel agents, direct costs of calling, on-board revenue potential, operations and guest satisfaction.

Greve said he anticipates the test will be completed by June, with St. John's Development Corp. to start implementing improvements later in the year.

Iconic Titanic Belfast opens its doors

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations; Published: 05 April 2012 05 April 2012

The new Titanic Belfast visitor experience has opened to the public. The 14,000 sq m building, modelled on four ships’ hulls rising to the same height of Titanic and clad in almost 3,000 striking aluminium shards, was opened by Northern Ireland’s First and Deputy First Ministers, Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness. They were joined by 105-year-old Belfast man, Cyril Quigley, believed to be the last witness of RMS Titanic’s launch.

It’s expected that over 400,000 visitors, including 150,000 from outside Northern Ireland, will visit Titanic Belfast in its first year, with 100,000 tickets having already been pre-sold. The building includes nine interactive galleries looking at every aspect of the Titanic story and the Titanic Suite, a Titanic-themed banqueting venue with a 10,000 piece near replica of Titanic’s Grand Staircase.

Tickets are available via telephone on 028 9076 6399 or online at www.titanicbelfast.com ranging from £5pp for school groups through to £13.50 for adults. Discounts are available for online bookings.

Hamburg welcomes MSC Lirica

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations; Published: 04 April 2012 04 April 2012

In the early morning hours of 2 April, the 'MSC Lirica' secured its moorings at its new home port. The symbolic presentation of the Hamburg admiralty plaque to the captain of the MSC Lirica, Captain Corrado Iaconis was undertaken by Harbour Master Jörg Pollmann from the Hamburg Port Authority. Also attending the reception were Pierfrancesco Vago, CEO of MSC Crociere S.A., Michael Zengerle, CEO of MSC Kreuzfahrten Deutschland GmbH and Senator Frank Horch, President of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Transport and Innovation.

A trip on the MSC Lirica is particularly suitable for those new to cruising as there are numerous 'mini-cruises' from Hamburg to Helgoland as well as three- to five-day short trips throughout Northern Europe on offer. 'In the coming season, all-in-all the 'MSC Lirica' is offering an exciting range of 21 different ports of call and route distances from the Hanseatic metropolis," explained Michael Zengerle during the on-board event. A fact that ably emphasises the diversity of the routings available from Hamburg.

The port of Hamburg is becoming increasingly important for MSC Cruises. In 2013, the MSC Magnifica, which was also christened in Hamburg and has a passenger capacity of around 2,518, will ultimately adopt Hamburg as its home port.

Senator Horch and Pierfrancesco Vago consider the cooperation between Hamburg and MSC to be highly beneficial for all those involved and are convinced that the coming years will see further development of the partnership.

'The MSC Magnifica was named in one of the finest cities in Germany. Hamburg is an important gateway to both Northern Europe and other cruise destinations. If for no other reason than that, I am convinced that relations between MSC and the City of Hamburg will progress to the mutual benefit of all," stated Vago.

Nestour named Vice President, Global Port and Destination Development – EuroMed Region for Carnival Corporation & plc

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations; Published: 02 April 2012 02 April 2012

Michel Nestour has been appointed to the newly created position of vice president, global port and destination development - EuroMed region for Carnival Corporation & plc, the world's largest cruise operator.

In this capacity, Nestour is responsible for strategic corporate port and destination development initiatives within the EuroMed region, which includes the Mediterranean and Atlantic coast from Morocco and the Canary Islands in the south to Norway in the north and the Baltic Sea.

Nestour is based in Carnival Corporation & plc's office in Southampton, UK, and reports to Giora Israel, the company's senior vice president of global port and destination development.

Prior to joining Carnival, Nestour spent seven years at the London offices of Ernst & Young LLP working within the company's transaction advisory services division. He also served in the merger and acquisition division of Corus Group, Inc., a leading global steel and aluminum supplier, and held financial positions with global investment firms Schroder Salomon Smith Barney and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

"The EuroMed region continues to expand at a rapid pace and Michel brings a wealth of work experience and a unique set of skills that will allow us to enhance the numerous port and destination opportunities that exist within this area," Israel said.

A native of Lorient, France, Nestour earned degrees in economics and Spanish at the universities of Nantes in France and Valencia in Spain, respectively, as well as a masters of arts in banking and finance from the University of Wales' College of Bangor.

Carnival Corporation & plc is the largest cruise company in the world, with a portfolio of cruise brands in North America, Europe, Australia and Asia, comprised of Carnival Cruise Lines, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Seabourn, AIDA Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard, Ibero Cruises, P&O Cruises (Australia) and P&O Cruises (UK).

Together, these brands operate 98 ships totaling 195,000 lower berths with 10 new ships scheduled to enter service between May 2012 and March 2016. Carnival Corporation & plc also operates Holland America Princess Alaska Tours, the leading tour company in Alaska and the Canadian Yukon. Traded on both the New York and London Stock Exchanges, Carnival Corporation & plc is the only group in the world to be included in both the S&P 500 and the FTSE 100 indices.

Cruise lines announce more Alaska ships to Port of Seattle

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations; Published: 27 March 2012 27 March 2012

The Port of Seattle confirms the announcement of two new cruise products for the 2013 Alaska cruise season. Oceania Cruise Lines will be offering the Regatta, while Celebrity Cruises will be offering the Solstice. Early cruise bookings have commenced for both of these new ships departing from Seattle in 2013.

The Regatta was the first ship of the Oceania Cruises fleet in 2003. Refurbished in 2011, she has an overall length of 594 feet and a capacity of 684 passengers. She will be disembarking and embarking guests from Bell Street Pier at Pier 66, for a total of six calls.

Celebrity Cruise's Solstice-one of the most decorated ships at sea-was built in 2008, will be one of the largest cruise ships to berth in Seattle, with an overall length of 1041 feet and a capacity of 2850 passengers. The Solstice will be making 19 calls, with the bulk of the itineraries being seven day roundtrip cruises departing from Smith Cove Terminal at Terminal 91.

Based on economic impact data, it is estimated that each time a homeport cruise vessel docks in Seattle the activity brings an average of over $2 million into the local economy. There are 202 cruise vessel calls scheduled for the 2012 season kicking off on May 6th. The Seattle cruise business supports over 4,000 jobs in the region. For more information on Seattle cruise, visit us on the web at:http://www.portseattle.org/Cruise/Pages/default.aspx