Maura hopes to have the work completed within 18 months. The site has been cleared, but work hasn’t started yet.
“This is a significant increase in the number of jobs at Nassau Cruise Port. It will be a best-in-class experience,” Maura said.
Port Wants to Boost Family-Friendly Options
It is a move to provide more “family friendly’ amenities for a cruise port facility with ambitions to be the “best in class in the Caribbean.” Maura added: “A lot of the experiences visitors can participate in are adult-oriented. Through this investment, which is a pool experience, we intend to focus on families.”
He cited the frequency of port calls by family-focused Disney Cruise Line ships as a gap in the market for families who don’t wish to venture far onshore.
Addressing concerns that it could deprive other local businesses of cruise tourism revenue, Maura said that with up to seven large cruise ships visiting Nassau each day, the market is big enough for all.
“We are very much in the business of also facilitating the safe distribution of visitors throughout New Providence and downtown Nassau as well.”
Nassau Cruise Passenger Traffic Continues to Rise
The port set a daily record of almost 30,000 visitors late last year. Passenger numbers for the first half of 2024 rose 24%, representing an increase of half a million in 2023.
The port also received an extra 15,000 cruise passengers this week due to revised Caribbean itineraries caused by Hurricane Beryl. Maura says Nassau is on course to handle over 5 million guest arrivals by the end of the year.
Tags: Mike Maura, Nassau Cruise Port
