Barbados’ winter cruise season for 2023/2024 began last Saturday with the berthing of Carnival Venezia, captained by Crescenzo Palomba.
Minister of Tourism and International Transport, Ian Gooding-Edghill, welcomed Captain Palomba and his 1,300-plus crew to the island and expressed pleasure that the inaugural vessel call was the first cruise call for the winter cruise season.
“We believe that for us, it is a wonderful opportunity to have inaugural vessel calls into Barbados. Of course, as an island we depend heavily on tourism and cruise tourism is a significant part of our business,” Mr. Gooding-Edghill stated.
He noted that Carnival Cruise Lines is a long-standing cruise partner for Barbados, and thanked the company for being a committed partner to the destination.
Minister Gooding-Edghill highlighted that having cruise vessels include Barbados on their itinerary indicated that the island is a sought-after destination. “This not only signifies economic growth for Barbados but also reinforces our position as a premier destination,” he said.
The Tourism Minister shared that for the upcoming cruise winter season, Barbados’ current projections stand at 392 cruise calls, with an estimated 715, 527 passengers, up from last season’s 358 calls with 608,583 passengers.
Captain Palomba said it was “an honour to be in Barbados … and we are happy to be the first ship”. He pointed out that the ship carries a different décor style from what would usually be seen on a Carnival vessel.
“This ship is a lot different from the mothership; it is something new from Carnival; it is a fun Italian style…. We tried to do something different … the first ship as a Vista-class,” he said.
The vessel, Carnival Venezia, is homeporting out of Brooklyn, New York, sailing on nine-day Caribbean itineraries. This season, Carnival Venezia will make three calls to the Port of Bridgetown.