Sarah Bretz, ContributorThe Caribbean country of St. Maarten is gearing up for a big cruise year in 2025. The CEO of Port St. Maarten Group, Alexander Gumbs, says that its cruise forecast predicts that the destination will welcome over 1.5 million cruise passengers next year.
“We are on track of growth as international cruise industry figures show that cruise tourism is resilient and rebounding faster than other forms of travel and tourism,” he said. “Since the pandemic, our own cruise numbers have been growing annually and this is a great rebound. It shows confidence that the cruise industry has in us as a destination, however, we must not be complacent and continue to offer our guests new experiences.”
Despite the promising number predicted, the country still isn’t projected to reach its pre-pandemic numbers of 1.63 million cruise passengers next year, which was its 2019 figure. Its peak of 1.66 million cruise visitors was achieved in 2016.
Sint Maarten will be able to showcase what it has to offer during the 30th Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) Cruise Conference & Tradeshow this fall, where around 800 cruise line, tourism destination, and port authority representatives will be in attendance.
“Hitting 1.5 million passenger mark shows St. Maarten constantly listens to and enacts the cruise industry’s wants and needs. We look forward to helping St. Maarten reach even higher milestones in the future through our great partnership and hosting the FCCA Cruise Conference and Trade Show in October,” said Michele Paige, CEO of FCCA.
Based on global cruise industry statistics, 2023 cruise passenger volume around the world stood at 31.7 million, which surpassed 2019 by seven percent. General cruise industry forecasting for cruise capacity shows an increase of 10 percent from 2024 through 2028. By 2027, cruising is forecast to grow to nearly 40 million passengers around the globe.
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