Iona makes maiden call to Saint Lucia, docks at Port Castries with 4990 visitors

Saint Lucia: Port Castries was bustling with huge activity on Tuesday as P&O Cruises’ Iona made its inaugural call to Saint Lucia. The grand vessel brought a wave of opportunities for local businesses, artisans and service providers and reinforced the island’s reputation as a top-tier Caribbean destination.  

Bringing a total of 4990 passengers and 1800 crew members, the arrival of the cruise marked another highlight in the thriving tourism journey of Saint Lucia. Of these passengers, around 79.8 percent disembarked to explore the island nation and several of them enjoyed organised tours, relaxed at nearby beaches, shopped at Pointe Seraphine Duty-Free and savoured local cuisine at the Castries Market and nearby eateries.  

The Saint Lucia Tourism Authority (SLTA) gave a warm welcome to the captain, crew and visitors as Iona arrived to the island for its maiden call.  

The officials including Denise Maurisette, Maritime Officer, and Rondel Charlery, Public Relations Officer at SLTA along with industry partners hosted a brief plaque exchange ceremony aboard the magnificent cruise, marking the beginning of a new relationship. The ceremony was also attended by representatives from Duty-Free Pointe Seraphine, Saint Lucia Cruise Port and Invest Saint Lucia. 

Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, Guibion Ferdinand greeted the cruises’ captain Martin Allen and his crew and highlighted the crucial role cruise tourism plays in the economy of Saint Lucia. He emphasised that far-reaching benefits cruise tourism rings to various sectors across the island.  

Ferdinand also shared glimpses of the ceremony on his official Facebook account and said, “Earlier today I led a team of officials that welcomed the captain and crew of the cruise vessel "Iona" as it made its inaugural voyage to our beautiful Saint Lucia. Over 3500 passengers disembarked the vessel to enjoy tours, excursions, sites and attractions and various authentic Saint Lucian experiences.” 

While sharing these numbers, he noted the great opportunities these thousands of passengers brought for vendors, taxi drivers, restaurants, shops and various service providers and by extension the local economy. Ferdinand further said that he is looking forward to a highly successful cruise tourism season, giving a major boost to the overall economy of Saint Lucia.