The West Indies has always been a popular destination for cruise lovers from all over the world. The only reason there would usually be a drop in passenger numbers is when airline fares become too expensive.

Dr Timothy Harris, the temporary Governor of the island, submitted a report about the island’s cruise industry to the 41st yearly Conference of the Board of Governors of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) in which he stated that the number of stay-over arrivals increased by 1% during the past year.

According to his report the number of stay-over visitors from the island’s main markets increased. U.S. visitors were up by 2.8%, the number of European visitors was 13.9% higher and visitors from the United Kingdom went up by a hefty 23.1%. He attributed this mainly to an increase in airline capacity from these destinations.

Visitor numbers from the Caribbean and Canada, however, declined by 12.5% and 7.3% respectively – a phenomenon Harris ascribed to unattractive airfares.

Minister Harris said that the cruise market in St Kitts remained buoyant during the past year and that not only did the number of cruise passengers increase, but the number of port calls also went up by 13.6%.

He added that they were continuously negotiating with cruise lines and embarking on marketing campaigns in strategic markets.

The worldwide economic recession has, however, also left its mark on the island’s tourism industry, which shrank by 2% compared to 2009.