FCCA Meets with Partner Destinations

The Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) Operations Committee recently concluded a Travel Blitz in the Eastern Caribbean the week of June 26 - 28, 2001.  The Travel Blitz was designed as a platform to build stronger working relationships between the Member Lines and their cruise destinations private and public sector partners.

Michele M. Paige, President of the FCCA, Michael Ronan, Associate Vice President-Destination Development, Royal Caribbean International, and the Operations Committee Chairman, and Gordon Buck, Director-Port Operations, Carnival Cruise Lines, held numerous meetings with public and private sector representatives in Barbados, Grenada, St. Vincent and St. Lucia to discuss operations, current issues and how to meet the needs of cruise passengers for the future.

The first stop during the week long Blitz was Barbados, where the cruise executives met with the Honorable N.A. Lynch, Minister of Tourism & International Transport and other delegates.  The topics brought forth for discussion were port and product development strategies. In Grenada the Committee met with Honorable Brenda Hood, Minister of Tourism to discuss communication, refurbishment of infrastructure and port development.  In St. Vincent, Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalvez and Rene Baptiste, Minister of Tourism & Culture were on hand to discuss port improvement on the island.  St. Lucia’s Honorable Menissa Rambally, Minister of Tourism & Civil Aviation addressed port development, security and taxi programs for St. Lucia.

"It is an honor to have so many partners working with our industry to seize the opportunities the cruise industry brings - passenger and crew spending, cruise line spending as well as cruise passengers returning as long stay visitors," stated Michele M. Paige.

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