Regent Seven Seas Explorer made its inaugural visit to the Bridgetown Port on Sunday.
Captain of the vessel, Stanislas Mercier De Lacombe being presented with the plaque from Minister of Tourism and International Transport The Hon. Richard Sealy as the General Manager of the vessel looks on.
By:
Peta Rowe-Forde
Yesterday, Barbados’ Seaport welcomed yet another vessel for its inaugural visit. Commemorating the visit, Minister of Tourism and International Transport, The Hon. Richard Sealy and Captain of the vessel, Stanislas Mercier De Lacombe exchanged plaques. However, prior to this, the Ministry extended a warm welcome to the crew to the shores of Barbados.
“We are very happy to have you here. Regent Seven Seas comes from a line of ships that are well known for a very high quality of cruise experience… that fits in perfectly with what we offer and exude as a destination – a high quality destination. So we are thrilled and dare I say honoured that in your first mission to the Caribbean, you sought to have Barbados as a port of call.” The Minister pointed out that the visit comes at a time where Barbados is embarking on a new sector of tourism. “The ship of course is brand new and is certainly quite attractive and we’re happy that she’s here for this inaugural visit. Of course it is coming at a time when we are placing a great emphasis on cruise tourism and all that it has to offer. We sincerely hope that you have many more calls going into the future,” stated Sealy.
Not only is Barbados enjoying record numbers at the airport; but the cruise sector of tourism has been reaching record numbers as well. Noting that the season has had some very busy days already, Sealy asserted that the home-porting element is at a record level for this season, as well as the number of new calls. This, he said, is quite encouraging and it augurs well for cruise tourism and tourism going forward in the
future.
Additionally, Sealy explained, “The level of confidence is high… managers, directors and cruise planners are comfortable putting Barbados on the itinerary; the request for vessels to home-port here is also on the increase – and that’s a good thing.
“It means the policy we have of expanding the ports to accommodate more of this type of business is the correct strategy and it will continue to lead to further jobs and further development for the economy of Barbados.”
In gifting the Captain with the plaque made of Barbados’ mahogany, Sealy commented, “We’re glad that you are doing your part and you can be assured that we want to be your partner as you continue to have more and more Caribbean cruises.”
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