St Kitts welcomes Oasis of the Seas with 6,407 visitors, boosting off-season tourism

St Kitts and Nevis: The massive Royal Caribbean’s cruise Oasis of the Seas, on Tuesday, made its first stop in Port Zante, St Kitts, three days after leaving from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The cruise arrived with around 6,407 passengers, giving a huge business to everyone involved in the tourism sector even during the off-season. 

As described by the locals, most of the passengers and scores of crew members came ashore and kept the tour operators, taxi drivers, restauranteurs, vendors and other persons in the tourism sector busy. 

While some of the passengers shopped for locally made souvenirs, crafts, perfumers and jewellery from vendors at Port Zante, others went on organised as well as selected island tours and trails of St Kitts through taxis and the St Kitts Scenic Railway. Passengers also patronized the local bars and ate at places across the island.  

In pictures shared by the locals online, passengers were seen playing with local monkeys and posing with them while the monkeys were draped in cute clothes. 

It is further reported that the ship departed from Port Zante around 6 pm on Tuesday evening with its next port of call being Philipsburg, St. Maarten (August 27), San Juan, Puerto Rico (August 28th) and Coco Bay (August 30) before returning to Fort Lauderdale on August 31st. 

The visit of the Oasis of the Seas on Tuesday marked the third vessel to visit St Kitts this month, totaling to 16,976 passengers arriving on the island during the off-season. 

The Wonder of the Seas docked with 6,607 passengers on August 21 and Enchanted Princess with 3,962 passengers on August 18. 

Apart from this, tourism minister of St Kitts, Marsha Henderson, during a press conference, also noted that Star of the Seas is set to make its inaugural visit to the island on September 11, 2025, with two more scheduled calls on October 9 and 23. She added that Oasis of the Seas has further scheduled calls to the island on September 11 and October 9, 2025. 

Following the successful cruise season 2024-2025, the Minister said that this growth is the result of the collective efforts among the Ministry of Tourism, the sister agencies, and the industry partners, all focused on enhancing the guest experience, improving our port facilities, and ensuring visitor satisfaction and safety. She said that she is looking forward to a major increase in numbers during this tourism season.