MSC Virtuosa returns to St. Vincent with over 6,000 visitors, boosting local economy

St Vincent and the Grenadines: MSC Virtuosa returned to Port Kingstown on Monday for its second call following its maiden visit to St Vincent and the Grenadines on November 27.  

The arrival of this magnificent cruise vessel to St Vincent is once again special because it brought along with more than 6000 visitors. As per authorities, a large number of these cruise passengers disembarked and indulged in various scheduled tours and local excursions.  

The arrival has given a huge business to the local vendors including cab drivers, tour guides and others offering various goods and services. 

MSC Virtuosa is one of the largest in the MSC cruises fleet, was built in 2020 and features 14 passenger decks. The ship arrived with passengers from across Europe, South America, the United Kingdom, and even the Caribbean. 

Not only this, but the passengers also expressed their excitement about touring the island of St Vincent. 

Notably, the MSC Virtuosa will make several additional calls to St. Vincent and the Grenadines throughout the remainder of the cruise season. 

With the arrival of thousands of passengers to the destination, Tourism Minister Carlos James has also expressed his pride during a recent press conference.  

He said that there have been enormous accomplishments as an emerging and premier luxury tourism destination.  

Minister James further highlighted major strides made in the sector including 30% increase in stay over arrivals during the first six months of this year. 

Also, a luxurious Holiday Inn Express was established and opened, and it is sold out for most of December 2024. Four new carriers have also added the destination in the 4th quarter of 2024.  

Another major highlight recorded this year is the arrival of three American Airlines flights for the first time on the same day from Charlotte, New York and Miami.  

Minister James said that these achievements showcase a robust recovery post a global health pandemic, La Soufrière volcanic eruption and Hurricane Beryl. 

He further outlined, “This year has been a testament of our magnificent resilience as a Vincentian people. What I want to just briefly say to you is, despite all of these challenges and the many successes and the hotels that we're building out, the airlines that are coming, we are going to also see a lot of changes within the sector.” 

He added that his team is looking forward to a successful cruise tourism season this month with more and more people now engaging in this sector as it is continuously generating significant revenues.