February 2017 |Business View Caribbean

18 19 have developed the right master plan, and it is now up to our government to identify additional financing to complete what we started last year when we successfully implemented critically needed marine improve- ments at St. John’s Harbour and the Heritage Pier.” The TourismMinister reported that very experienced cruise industry leaders like Adam Goldstein, Rick Sasso, Robin Lindsay, Carlos Torres Na- varro, and Michele Paige were impressed with the fact that, although the Antiguan cruise-sector master plan had alreadymade significant imple- mentation progress, the Minister and his teamwere still open to feedback and suggestions for improvement. The cruise decision-makers were particularly interested in the possibility of creating a new beach-focused, outer-island style of cruise destination on the sister island of Barbuda.According to the Minister, this piece of the master plan is designed for Barbuda to deliver an authentic and unprece- dented experience for an Eastern Caribbean cruise itinerary and to better position Barbuda on the regional cruise map. In 2016, the Antigua and Barbuda government commenced an ambi- tious cruise facilities and downtown development program.To date, some US$50 million has already been spent on the harbor and lengthening and strengthening the Heritage Pier to allow for the berthing of larger ships up to a Quantum-class size.The arrival of Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas on December 2, 2016, heralded the start of what is expected to be a new growth phase for the Antiguan cruise sector. The cruise-sector master plan calls for further dredging of the approach channel and turning area, the creation of a fifth berth, and land reclama- tion to help with major improvements to pedestrian and vehicle flows, town aesthetics, tour operations, and shopping. opening lines