Princess On Bermuda 2012 Cuts
Princess Cruises says increasing demand for ships on its Alaska run and the loss of one vessel from its fleet caused the reduction in the number of Bermuda visits next year.
Talking to the “Toronto Star” today [Dec.7], a Princess spokesman said the cruise line had dropped its New York-Bermuda schedule from 11 visits this year to just two in 2012 for logistical reasons.
Princess Cruises media relations manager Karen Candy told the Canadian newspaper the cut in the number of Bermuda visits was the result of an increase in the number of Alaska cruises and the retirement of one of its ships.
“We just didn’t have the capacity to have the New York run for the 2012 season,” she said.
The “Star” said the cut in cruise ship visits by Carnival, Holland America and Princess Cruises “is potentially devastating news for Bermuda, whose economy depends to a large extent on tourism. A single cruise ship can deliver 3,000 or more passengers to the island, so a cut of 22 of these ships in a single year means a drastic reduction in visits and, more importantly for the economy, tchachke and rum-drink sales.”
Ms Candy said Bermuda might see a spike in visits in 2013 when the cruise line’s new ship “Royal Princess” is launched.
Bermuda’s Tourism Ministry said yesterday [Dec.6] “current projections indicates that 2012 will record the second highest number of cruise visitors in history.”
The Ministry added that in 2012 the number of regular calls will be 140, the same as 2011, and that the number of occasional caller for 2012 will be 22, as opposed to 40 in 2011.
Hamilton Mayor Charles Gosling has argued that Bermuda’s failure to make its two major ports accessible to mega-ships is the real reason cruise lines are beginning to give the island a wide berth in an interview with a travel industry website.
While industry columnist Phil Reimer has suggested Bermuda’s restrictions on gaming when ships are visiting the island may have sparked an industry-wide backlash, Mr. Gosling says it is the island’s failure to keep its cruise ship infrastructure current which has led to the cuts.
With the way Bermuda is going, I’m not sure if we can hold out till 2013.
Please tell me what tourist related job you have..??? Do you even deal with cruise passengers on a daily, bi weekly or even ever???? Please tell me what part are you playing to enhance our tourism product…
One does not need to be directly involved in tourism to see the dismal shape Bermuda is in these days.
Oh & yes, I was directly involved in tourism. 19 years. A selfemployed watersport attraction provider catering to the very cream of Bermudas fly in tourism crop, the people who spent thousands per day here.
I dont think he was questioning you. Its the comments people make bashing the Islands issue but have no knowledge as why its this way or solutions to make it better.
More people are coming to Bermuda next year on ships then ever before but they are spending less, why??
Its simple really. People have less disposable funds then before.
Cruise ship passengers have never spent much in Bermuda, period. Maybe if we had some duty-free shopping for them, they might shell out more cash?
Cruise ships are essential for the government. The passenger taxes and extra fees for wharfage and related services add up into the millions. Government need this cash to pay itself. So, as with above it is not just about ‘your’ job.
Yes, cruise ships are nice cash cows for the Government but they contribute little to business besides those having shore excursion contracts.
It takes almost 10 ship passengers to contribute what 1 air passenger does to the economy.
They don’t sleep in Bermuda beds. They don’t eat in Bermuda restaurants. They don’t use Bermuda shore excursions, other than those booked through the ship cruise director. The ship gets a huge percentage of that. All they buy is trinkets.
But, ships are all we have left. The air visitor will not return till there is a huge change in attitude towards tourism & service.