First
of all, I would like to express my sincere appreciation to Governor Lic.
Joaquien E. Hendricks Diaz, Governor of Quintana Roo and Francisco Avila
Camberos, General Coordinator, Secretary of Communications and Transportation
of Mexico, for being here at the 9th Annual FCCA Caribbean Cruise Conference
and Trade Show. Due to the weather, I know many of you faced many challenges
getting here and I really do appreciate your attendance. I would like
to thank the people of Mexico and the Yucatan peninsula for welcoming
us here in such a warm and friendly manner.
The growth in Mexico has been absolutely tremendous in recent years, which clearly makes this area a critical destination to the cruise industry. A year ago in Aruba we discussed the consequences of the tragic events of September 11. Many of those consequences were going to be unintentional; at the time of the Conference many of the ships repositioning had not been announced yet, but it was clear they were coming and that was going to give opportunities for some areas and was going to be devastating to other areas. We talk about that and discussed how important it was for areas in both locations… those that would benefit and those that would not, to more than ever work together in a public and private partnership with the cruise industry to meet the needs of their various destinations.
Clearly areas like the Bahamas, Key West, the Yucatan, Belize, have seen tremendous growth since September 11. Other areas in the Eastern Caribbean have not been so fortunate. While the industry has rebounded dramatically since September 11, I don’t think a year ago at the FCCA Conference in Aruba anyone could imagine how quickly and how dramatically the cruise industry would rebound, while other facets of tourism continue to suffer.
The ramifications of September 11 go on, and as long as we have an overhang with the situation in Iraq it’s going to continue to create uncertainty. With this uncertainty it’s going to create opportunity for some areas and problems for others. However, I encourage destinations to work harder than ever. I encourage the government and the private sector to work closely with the cruise industry, areas that are growing rapidly need to focus on developing infrastructure, as it will be imperative for those areas to be able to welcome ships - because if they don’t they will go elsewhere.
Once they go elsewhere it is very difficult to bring them back. Those areas that have lost ships know how difficult it is to bring them back once you’ve lost them. Some of those occurrences happened, no fault of anybody in this room, but because of the events of September 11. There are times when these things happen and there are significant issues for the destination, the cruise lines, and the relationship between the two.
To some degree I know I am preaching to the choir, those that are here already know this, in reality there are a lot of people that are not here that really need to hear this. I hope the media will do the job for me and bring the message across because I see in the next couple of years a tremendous opportunity. Our company is growing at a very rapid pace, we project next year to take on 7 ships in the matter of 10 1/2 months. Clearly that is a huge opportunity for a lot of people in this room. All I can do is encourage you to work closely with Michele Paige, and the Operations Committee of the FCCA and with the individual lines to make sure your needs and our needs are met in such a way that you can take advantage of the opportunities that lie ahead.
Again I want to thank you very much for being here. I do want to mention that the FCCA Foundation for the Caribbean will make a substantial donation to the people affected by Hurricane Isadore in the Yucatan peninsula during the week of the Conference. I thank you again for being here and look forward to a productive week.
The growth in Mexico has been absolutely tremendous in recent years, which clearly makes this area a critical destination to the cruise industry. A year ago in Aruba we discussed the consequences of the tragic events of September 11. Many of those consequences were going to be unintentional; at the time of the Conference many of the ships repositioning had not been announced yet, but it was clear they were coming and that was going to give opportunities for some areas and was going to be devastating to other areas. We talk about that and discussed how important it was for areas in both locations… those that would benefit and those that would not, to more than ever work together in a public and private partnership with the cruise industry to meet the needs of their various destinations.
Clearly areas like the Bahamas, Key West, the Yucatan, Belize, have seen tremendous growth since September 11. Other areas in the Eastern Caribbean have not been so fortunate. While the industry has rebounded dramatically since September 11, I don’t think a year ago at the FCCA Conference in Aruba anyone could imagine how quickly and how dramatically the cruise industry would rebound, while other facets of tourism continue to suffer.
The ramifications of September 11 go on, and as long as we have an overhang with the situation in Iraq it’s going to continue to create uncertainty. With this uncertainty it’s going to create opportunity for some areas and problems for others. However, I encourage destinations to work harder than ever. I encourage the government and the private sector to work closely with the cruise industry, areas that are growing rapidly need to focus on developing infrastructure, as it will be imperative for those areas to be able to welcome ships - because if they don’t they will go elsewhere.
Once they go elsewhere it is very difficult to bring them back. Those areas that have lost ships know how difficult it is to bring them back once you’ve lost them. Some of those occurrences happened, no fault of anybody in this room, but because of the events of September 11. There are times when these things happen and there are significant issues for the destination, the cruise lines, and the relationship between the two.
To some degree I know I am preaching to the choir, those that are here already know this, in reality there are a lot of people that are not here that really need to hear this. I hope the media will do the job for me and bring the message across because I see in the next couple of years a tremendous opportunity. Our company is growing at a very rapid pace, we project next year to take on 7 ships in the matter of 10 1/2 months. Clearly that is a huge opportunity for a lot of people in this room. All I can do is encourage you to work closely with Michele Paige, and the Operations Committee of the FCCA and with the individual lines to make sure your needs and our needs are met in such a way that you can take advantage of the opportunities that lie ahead.
Again I want to thank you very much for being here. I do want to mention that the FCCA Foundation for the Caribbean will make a substantial donation to the people affected by Hurricane Isadore in the Yucatan peninsula during the week of the Conference. I thank you again for being here and look forward to a productive week.