Freeport, Bahamas, February 10, 2017 – The Bahamas will lose some 75,000 cruise visitors to newly available cruise port, Havana in Cuba because of schedule changes by Norwegian Cruise Lines. Norwegian wants to give cruisers from 8am one day to 3pm the next in Havana and that means Nassau and Freeport are cut out of 25 cruises; each ship trip with a capacity for 3,000 passengers and crew.
Media got a response from the Minister of Tourism, Obie Wilchcombe who shrugged off the seriousness of the shift and said, “from time to time there will be changes and rotations. A Tourism Press Release said a bit more, explaining that While the (Norwegian) Sky is indeed dropping Freeport from its itinerary for the period May to the end of 2017, the ship will still call on Nassau and Great Stirrup Cay during its three-day itinerary and Great Stirrup Cay on its four day voyage.”
The Free National Movement is sounding off on the dropping of the two cruise ports from the Norwegian Sky’s schedule; Peter Turnquest the party’s deputy leader said, “we will experience a loss of customers, a loss of revenues and profits and an increase in our national debt.”
Meanwhile the Tourism Minister insists that the Bahamas not only has a good relationship with Norwegian, but that the country continues to have an upper hand, at least until Cuba can accommodate larger cruise ships.
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