Barbados’ first inaugural port call for 2025 is The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection Ilma.
The vessel, with 224 suites and a carrying capacity of 448 passengers, made its inaugural berth at the Port of Bridgetown, today.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism and International Transport, Francine Blackman, welcomed Staff Captain, Ante Benic, and General Manager, Dennis Sorensen, during an onboard plaque exchange ceremony to mark the arrival of the Ritz-Carlton’s Ilma. It is the newest vessel in the collection and began sailing in September 2024.
The Permanent Secretary noted that today’s celebration is an exciting development for Barbados’ cruise industry.
“Over the years, the Ministry of Tourism and International Transport, in collaboration with the Barbados Port Inc., and the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc., has worked continuously to diversify and enhance the island’s cruise tourism. Today’s arrival of the Ritz-Carlton Ilma marks a significant milestone as part of these efforts.
“The Ritz-Carlton brand is globally recognised as a leader in luxury, hospitality and service excellence, so to have the Ilma call on the Port of Bridgetown is indicative of the strides made in reinforcing Barbados’ status as a premier destination,” Ms. Blackman stated.
She added that the Ministry will continue to target the luxury segment of the cruise industry in its overall tourism marketing strategy as the island seeks to position itself as a premier port destination in the southeastern Caribbean.
Permanent Secretary Blackman disclosed during the plaque exchange ceremony that for the period January to November 2024, there was an increase in cruise arrivals when compared to the same period for 2023.
“During the period January to November 2024, we saw a 23 per cent increase in total cruise ship arrivals over the same period for the previous year, and this has been confirmed certainly by our Barbados Statistical Department. They reported a total of 649,125 cruise arrivals for the period January to November 2024; over 526,114 cruise arrivals for the same period in 2023.”
Staff Captain Benic, on behalf of the employees and The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, expressed thanks for the “warm welcome” and said he looks forward to future calls.
The yacht Ilma, whose name means “water” in Maltese, will make five turnaround calls for the winter cruise 2024-2025 season. The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection Evrima, which made its inaugural call to Barbados in November 2022, will make seven calls to the Port of Bridgetown. (PR/GIS)
