TRINIDAD generated US$5.4 million in revenue from cruise tourism over the past year, according to a study released by Business Research & Economic Advisors (BREA) titled Economic Contribution of Cruise Tourism to the Destination Economies.
And according to the study, cruise tourism created 197 jobs in Trinidad, generating US$2.54 million in wages.
Of these, 115 jobs were direct employment opportunities, contributing US$1.46 million to wages, it stated.
The study reported that 65,900 passengers disembarked and visited onshore destinations during their cruise stop over the past year
Over the past year, passengers spent US$3.87 million, a 75% increase from the US$2.21 million recorded in BREA’s previous study in 2018.
Passengers also spent an average US$58.68 over the past year, marking an 8% increase from the average spend of US$54.17 reported in 2018.
Despite the increase the average passenger spend of US$58.68 was the lowest among the 33 destinations listed and significantly below the regional average.
“The average per passenger spending ranged from a low of US$58.68 in Trinidad to a high of US$190.61 in Panama. It should be noted that the average spending includes both transit and homeport passengers. The USVI (US$166.22) and St. Maarten (US$163.45) had the second and third highest average passenger spending in this 2023/24 study, respectively. The average per passenger spend was US$104.36 across all 33 destinations, up about 3% from US$101.52 in the last study,” it stated.
The study also noted that 8,900 crew members disembarked and visited local destinations over the past year.
Crew spending totalled US$340,000, marking a 26% increase from the US$270,000 reported in the previous 2018 BREA study.
The cruise line’s crew reported an average spend of US$38.36, reflecting a 13% increase from the average spend of US$33.99 noted in BREA’s 2018 study.
According to the study, cruise lines spent US$1.19 million in Trinidad, the lowest amount among the 33 destinations surveyed.
Trinidad welcomed a total of 107,380 visitors, including 78,180 passengers and 29,200 crew, during the period.
The study reported that out of 1,026 completed surveys (785 passengers and 241 crew), 67% of visitors purchased a tour of Trinidad.
Trinidad was among only seven destinations where operators onshore accounted for 10% or more of tour purchases.
“Purchased from onshore tour operators would lead to 100% of the revenue benefiting the local economy. These destinations were: Honduras (13%), Bonaire (12%), Cozumel (12%), Guadeloupe (11%), St. Lucia (10%), Mazatlán (10%) and Trinidad (10%),” it stated.
Tours could also be purchased through the cruise line or travel agents.
Passengers who came ashore spent an average of 3.8 hours in Trinidad.
Notably, 86.5% of the surveyed passengers indicated that this was their first visit to the island.
Of all 33 destinations surveyed, Trinidad received the lowest satisfaction score regarding overall visits.
However, it ranked higher than nine other destinations in terms of passengers’ satisfaction with their initial onshore welcome.
Despite this, Trinidad also recorded the poorest score when respondents were asked whether the destination met their expectations.
According to the survey, Trinidad outperformed two of the other 32 destinations when passengers were asked if they would consider returning for a land-based or resort vacation.
However, it ranked last in terms of how likely passengers were to recommend Trinidad for a land-based or resort vacation to their family or friends.
US$4.27b in direct cruise tourism revenue for region
In all the study stated that cruise tourism generated US$4.27 billion in direct cruise tourism revenue throughout 33 Caribbean and Latin American destinations.
This it said was about 27% higher than the record set by the previous study in 2018.
The study also found that cruise tourism created over 94,000 jobs, and paid more than US$1.27 billion in wages across the 33 destinations involved.
The Florida-Caribbean Association (FCCA), the trade group representing the mutual interests of the cruise industry and destinations and stakeholders in the Caribbean and Latin America, said it was proud to announce that the 2023-2024 cruise year brought record economic contributions to the region.
“We could not be prouder of these results and what they mean for the lives and livelihoods of so many throughout the Caribbean and Latin America,” chief executive officer of FCCA, Michele Paige, said.
“In addition to showing what cruise tourism brings to these destinations’ economies, many of the study’s findings will also serve as the foundation of building further mutual success between cruise lines and destination stakeholders,” Paige said.
The study measured direct spending impacts through passenger surveys and crew surveys; cruise line spending for services and provisions; port revenues; and employment generated by cruise ship calls.
“Measurement of economic impacts was calculated by collecting data from local government agencies, regional development agencies and international economic agencies to evaluate impacts on employment, wages, port fees and taxes,” the FCCA stated.
Mitchell on cruises
Speaking during the budget debate on October 22, Tourism Minister Randall Mitchell lauded said the cruise tourism product is “very important to this country and to our earning potential.”
“The average cruise ship that comes to shore as soon as they come to shore the cruise line will spend approximately US $30,000, each cruise line. Mr. President, US $30,000 on pilot fees, port dues and fees and of course, passenger head tax. As soon as the cruise line pulls up, US $30,000 on average and this is excluding bunkering, when they purchase fuel. This excludes of course, services and supplies where those cruise ships must replenish their stores. Once the cruise passenger comes on shore, that cruise passenger usually goes on some pre-planned tour and transportation stakeholders, they benefit, our tour operators benefit from the onshore excursions and the cruise passenger has the opportunity to buy crafts, to buy beverages, to buy food. The average cruise visitor spend is approximately US $50. So there is incredible earning potential when cruise lines come to our shores.,” Mitchell stated.
Mitchell said in the 2023/2024 cruise season, the country experienced a 91% increase in cruise arrivals.
“We received a total of 102 cruise calls to both Trinidad and Tobago which is 34 cruise calls more than the previous season. A total of 200,000 passengers arrived at our shores, 104,000 more than the previous cruise season. So when you take into consideration the economic value of the cruise season, the passenger spend, as well as the spend that the cruise lines make when they come to our ports, over the last cruise season we measured it at US $12 million or TT$81 million over the last cruise season, which is important foreign exchange and important spend coming into our country,” he stated.
Mitchell said a similar season is expected this year.
“It was already started and next year during the Carnival we will also welcome again the Epic Carnival cruise charter, which will come to our shores for five days during the Carnival weekend. Those persons, those cruise passengers will partake in all of our Carnival festivities, J’ouvert, parties, playing mas, they will spend money, they will use taxis, tour operators and at the last occasion we measured the spend of those passengers at approximately US $2,500 per passenger and we expect about 2,000 passengers to come. So this is some good news for 2025 going forward,” he said.
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Publish date : 2024-10-29 13:10:00
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