280,000 cruise passengers visited St. Kitts during first three months of 2012

Four cruise ships dock at Port Zante and the Deep Water Port, St. Kitts

BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, MAY 23RD 2012 (CUOPM) – Just over 280,000cruise ship passengers visited St. Kitts during the first quarter of 2012, an increase of 19 percent compared to the same period of 2011.

Figures from the Statistics Department of the St. Christopher Air and Sea Ports Authority (SCASPA), indicate that Royal Caribbean Cruise Line brought the highest number of passengers during that period.

The 280,314 passengers from 146 ship calls visited St. Kitts during the first three months of this year, up 19 percent compared to 234,417 passengers from 144 ship calls for the period in 2011.

Royal Caribbean Cruise Line accounted for 65,310 passengers, Carnival Cruise Line for 52,265 passengers and Celebrity Cruise Line, 56,251 passengers during the three month period.

RCL’s Adventure of the Seas brought 20,219 passengers, Navigator of the Seas, 16,816 passengers, Serenade of the Seas, 15,672 passengers and Explorer of the Seas, 12,603 passengers.

Celebrity Eclipse brought in 23,364 passengers between January and March.; 11,304 passengers were on the Celebrity Equinox, 8,523 onboard the Celebrity Silhouette and 13,060 on the Celebrity Summit.

During January to March, the Carnival Victory brought 40,759 passengers, while its sister ship, the Carnival Miracle, 11,506.

The Mein Schiff 2accounted for 13,162 between January and March; the Norwegian Dawn for 22,035; Thomson Dream, 10,372; Azura, 12,223 and Ventura, 12,358 passengers.

Cruise passengers at Frigate Bay Beach

SCASPA figures show 92,686 cruise passengers visited in January 2012 compared to 73,567 in January 2011; 93,119 cruise passengers visited in February 2012 compared to 72,756 and 93,999 passengers in March 2012 compared to 88,094 in March of 2011.

Hospitality Times recently listed St. Kitts and Nevis among the 10 Smallest Islands in the World.

The St. Kitts’ Scenic Railway train was listed among 30 stunning heritage trains of the world and the only one in the Caribbean.

In May 2012, St. Kitts and Nevis was ranked #3 on a list of the “10 Best Islands in the World” by US News & World Report.

In February, 2012, St. Kitts was named one of “5 Caribbean Islands to Discover Now” by MSNBC.

St. Kitts was also named one of the “Top 12 Spots that should be on your list for 2012” by Caribbean Travel+ Life magazine.

St. Kitts’ Brimstone Hill Fortress was also named one of “10 Great Places to Explore the World’s Best-Kept Secrets” by USA Today.

In summer 2011, the destination also ranked #1 on a list of the 16 Best Caribbean Vacations by US News & World Report.

St. Kitts was named a top destination for 2011 by both AOL Travel and British Airways. Located in the northern Leeward Islands of the Caribbean, it offers a diverse tourism product developed from the destination’s natural beauty, cultural heritage and rich history.