Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association’s Featured Marketing Partners Lead the Way in 2014

Pembroke Pines, FL (January 22, 2015) – The Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association’s (FCCA) 2014 Featured Marketing Partners showed the significance of directly targeting FCCA’s 19 Member Lines. Refusing to rest on their laurels, these cruise destination powerhouses—Aruba; Colombia; Cozumel, Mexico; Dominican Republic; Mexico; Puerto Rico; St. Maarten (Port St. Maarten); and the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI)—embarked on custom-tailored FCCA marketing packages to further spotlight their destination to those who decide where ships call and how to invest in infrastructure.

“The FCCA is proud to offer numerous ways for destinations’ private and public sectors to maximize cruise tourism’s impact,” said Michele Paige, president, FCCA. “Marketing with the FCCA catches the attention of the cruise lines’ most influential decision makers.” 

“Working with the FCCA over many years has been an excellent opportunity to showcase the U.S. Virgin Islands as an accessible, cruise-friendly destination,” said Beverly Nicholson-Doty, Commissioner of Tourism, U.S. Virgin Islands. “Our partnership has been mutually beneficial and effective in reaching the cruise industry's key players.”

The proof of FCCA Marketing Partners’ success is seen in the numbers and investments. Dominican Republic’s Amber Cove will open in 2015, featuring eight Carnival ships and over 100,000 passengers between October 2015 and April 2016. Plus the other Dominican Republic ports experienced a 25 percent increase in passenger arrivals between 2012 and 2014, according to data provided by FCCA Member Lines.

The same data shows similar results for the rest of FCCA’s Featured Marketing Partners. Aruba saw a 12 percent rise in passenger arrivals between 2011 and 2014; Colombia received nine percent more passengers in 2014 than in 2012; Cozumel hosted nearly 600,000 more passengers in 2014 than in 2013—a 23 percent gain; Mexican ports, excluding Cozumel, catered to more than 440,000 additional passengers in 2014 than in 2013—a 28 percent increase; more than 220,000 extra passengers experienced Puerto Rico in 2014, compared to 2012—an 18 percent difference; more than 275,000 additional passengers—an 18 percent rise—disembarked in Port St. Maarten in 2014, compared to 2013; and the USVI received 37 more vessels in 2014 than in 2013, a six percent increase, along with numerous cruise executives and Platinum Members as St. Croix hosted the FCCA PAMAC Summit and displayed its offerings—a crucial part of St. Croix’s projected 37 percent passenger arrival increase for 2015, compared to 2013.

These increases of passenger and vessel calls extend far beyond the cruise pier; they impact destinations’ entire economies. According to the Business Research & Economic Advisors (BREA) 2012 study, Economic Contribution of Cruise Tourism to the Destination Economies, the overall average expenditure per passenger was $95.92, which benefitted numerous industries through purchases of goods and services. Plus more ships bring more crew, with an average expenditure of $96.98, more cruise line spending and more employment revenue.

By these numbers, a single additional call from an average ship—130,000 GRT, 1,040 feet long, carrying 3,000 passengers and 500 crewmembers—generates $287,760 in passenger spending, $48,490 in crew spending and roughly $15,000 in port fees. This ship would account for $351,250 in direct economic contribution, not including wage labor and indirect contributions.

Considering these proven returns, it becomes easy to understand why destinations market with the FCCA to invest in their cruise tourism and overall economy.

To learn how the FCCA can tailor a marketing strategy for you, please contact Adam Ceserano via e-mail (Adam@F-CCA.com) or phone (954-441-8881).