Minister Douglas appreciates Tourism Ministry for successful arrival of Icon of the Seas

St Kitts and Nevis: Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Denzil Douglas lauded Tourism Minister Marsha Henderson following the successful arrival of world's largest cruise Icon of the Seas to the Federation.

The cruise made its first stop in St Kitts on its inaugural Caribbean journey on Tuesday, January 30, 2024.

During the cruise's inaugural call, Minister Douglas, along with cabinet colleagues and other stakeholders, had the opportunity to tour the World's Largest Cruise Ship Icon of the Seas on its maiden voyage to the beautiful destination.

He outlined, "Special thanks to Hon Marsha and her Team and also, to all others before her, who helped in any way."[caption id="attachment_67680" align="aligncenter" width="100%"] Minister Denzil Douglas with Tourism Minister Marsha Henderson[/caption]

According to Dr Denzil Douglas, nothing feels better or more rewarding than seeing one's vision being realised.

He added that after the closure of the Sugar Industry in 2005, the leaders set out as a government to diversify the economy to one of the services led by Tourism, Hospitality, Light manufacturing, Diversified Agriculture, Off Shore Financial, Off Shore Education Services etc.

In addition to this, he also noted that St Kitts and Nevis was one of the last few islands, if not the last, to become a tourism destination and added, "But today we're punching way above our weight, as our Islands are highly sought after by many Travelers from around the world."

As the cruise arrived on the island, Dr Douglas joined the Tourism Minister and other cabinet members for a brief ceremony onboard the cruise.

[caption id="attachment_67344" align="aligncenter" width="100%"] PM Terrance Drew and other Cabinet members onboard the cruise[/caption]He also lauded captain Harvey for guiding the cruise to Port Zante and said, "We do not have the Resources like the Larger Countries, but we sure do have the human capacity, natural beauty and very hospitable People."

The arrival of the cruise was also hailed as a huge milestone for the cruise industry as it brought around 5000 passengers who disembarked to explore the beautiful island.

Notably, such an occasion also strengthens the business of local vendors as they get the chance to offer their goods and services to the cruise passengers.