By Orville Williams
Just a few weeks after welcoming the return of cruise ships to the island, the Antigua Cruise Port has more good news to celebrate – a nomination for the “World’s Best New Cruise Development 2021” as part of the World Cruise Awards (WCA).
According to the WCA, the award is given to “a structure within a port that has been developed within the last 18 months, serving cruise ships, ocean liners and other water vessels”.
Back in 2019, Global Ports Holding entered an agreement with the government to develop and manage the cruise port, and construction of the fifth berth was recently completed as part of that agreement.
Following on from that investment, the Antigua Cruise Port will be going up against the Doha Cruise Terminal (Qatar), the Dubai Harbour (UAE) and the Nassau Cruise Port for the award.
Voting is not limited to cruise industry professionals, but also open to members of the public, via the World Cruise Awards website.
The winner will be announced during the first annual World Cruise Awards Gala Ceremony, set to take place on October 24 this year in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
If the rebound of the cruise tourism sector continues as projected, with major traffic scheduled throughout the end of the year, Antigua and Barbuda could be celebrating two big wins in a few months, after more than a year of losses caused by the pandemic.