Cruise Update

Issue 11 / Winter 2021 / 2022

Inside Happy, Sunny and Scenic Holidays!

Welcome Back AIDAperla

Cruise Under Control

New Protocols

Taking Shore Excursions in Barbados

Barbados Alive

Copacabana

Cruise in and

explore

Barbados

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Our winter 2021/22 season is off to an encouraging start as we have already welcomed back most of our major cruise lines to the island. Having strengthened our relationships with many of our cruise partners, we are more than pleased to see the safe resumption of cruising.

Our industry partners have worked tremendously hard and engaged with the Ministry of Health and local tourism stakeholders over the past few months to curate a comprehensive set of protocols to guide our cruise operations throughout the season. Thus far, we have been incident free and had no reports of COVID-19 outbreaks from cruise visitors and we intend to keep it this way during the season and beyond.

We have come together as a collective with our local stakeholders to develop and design new itineraries and products for our cruise visitors that immerses them, even for their short time on island, in what it means to be Barbadian. We want every visitor to fall in love again with exploring Barbados – something we’ve all missed over the past year and a half. Our vendors, artisans and businesses owners stand ready to welcome our visitors back with renewed energy and vigour.

We want to take this opportunity to thank all our global cruise industry partners for their commitment and loyalty to Barbados as they are the contributors to our success. We see this come into play as this is the first-time Royal Caribbean Cruise Ltd. (RCCL) will be homeporting in a Southern Caribbean port and has commenced their new homeporting programme out of Barbados with Grandeur of the Seas.

In addition, we have been happy to welcome calls from partners Seabourn Cruises, Viking Ocean Cruises, Mystic Cruises, P&O Cruises, Star Clippers, TUI Cruises, Silversea Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Marella Cruises, Holland America Line, Windstar Cruises, Sea Dream Cruises, Cunard Cruises, MSC Cruises, Regent Seven Seas, Mystic Cruises, Star Clippers and Ponant Cruises.

One of our most memorable moments this season that truly exemplifies the importance of our partnerships, was seeing the return of AIDAperla. Back in April 2020, during the cruise halt, AIDAperla was one of the many ships which stayed in Barbados’ waters until it was safe to sail again. Seeing Captain Boris Becker, the ship’s 910 crew members, and 1,675 passengers’ return was a positive step for our 2022/23 winter season.

It has indeed been a long journey to get where we are now but we are happy to welcome these cruise visitors to Barbados with safety and security at the forefront.

I take this opportunity to welcome everyone back to enjoy the plethora of activities and moments Barbados has to offer and to also wish you and yours a joyful and safe holiday season!

Jens Thraenhart .......................................................

Jens Thraenhart, CEO Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. (BTMI)

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Welcome back

AIDAperla Last year, at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic when many ports refused ships, Barbados became a safe haven for AIDAperla. On its departure from Barbados, after spending several months just off our shores, Captain Boris Becker released a special video message expressing his thanks for the hospitality, stating, “We will be back, bringing passengers and business to the island as soon as the seas are a little bit calmer again. Thank you for everything, we love you Barbados, see you soon”.

Staying true to his word, Captain Becker, along with his crew and passengers, sailed into the Bridgetown Port once again on November 17th! The captain, crew and passengers were welcomed by Minister of Tourism and International Transport, Sen. The Hon. Lisa Cummins, Minister of Maritime Affairs and the Blue Economy, the Hon. Kirk Humphrey, and officials from the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc., Barbados Port Inc., Bridgetown Cruise Terminal and Foster and Ince. During the welcome ceremony, commemorative plaques were exchanged and Captain Becker was presented with a specially commissioned painting depiciting the vessel, which was created by local artist, Shane Eastmond.

During the feature address by the Minister of Tourism and International Transport, she celebrated the journey and strong partnership between AIDAperla and Barbados. Noting that while it was no easy feat, it was surely a proud moment for Barbados to lend assistance to the cruise industry, through the cooperation of multiple agencies including the Bridgetown Port, the Grantley Adams International Airport, the BTMI and Port Agent Foster and Ince, during the global health crisis and time of uncertainty. Senator Cummins acknowledged the way the pandemic has undoubtedly brought changes to how we do business, as we prioritize the health and safety of locals and passengers coming into Port.

This sentiment was shared with AIDAperla’s Captain Becker who stressed that while their passengers were fully vaccinated and testing is frequent, they are taking a slow but steady approach, adding “we not only want to protect our business, we also want to protect the places we are going to, the communities we are going to, and of course, all of the Barbadians.” This winter the AIDAperla returns to her customary homeporting calls to Barbados, with this visit being the first of 11 scheduled calls for the 2021/2022 winter season, connecting us to the predominately German market.

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Cruise under

Control

The arrival of the Viking Orion cruise liner on October 27th, 2021, heralded the opening of Barbados’ winter 2021/2022 season.

Although vessels are currently sailing with less than 100% capacity due to the pandemic’s restrictions, tourism officials in Barbados are nevertheless hopeful for a successful season as over 300 cruise ship arrivals are expected for the season.

Furthermore, 17 ships will make their inaugural visits to the Port of Bridgetown during this time. Many of the local stakeholders are understandably ecstatic about the return of cruise activity to the island and are ready to welcome crew and passengers alike with smiles and elbow bumps!

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These are the most current Health & Safety Protocols

Click here to view

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Taking

shore excursions in Barbados

Cruise visitors arriving to Barbados on transit calls can purchase shore excursion tour options 1 or 2 below:

1

Tours approved for sale by tour operators as authorised by cruise lines – these are shore excursions sold by the cruise ship.

2

Tours approved for sale and authorised by the Government of Barbados following the appropriate health and security requirements – these tours can be prebooked through authorised independent tour providers or cruise visitors can disembark and purchase these tours at the Terminal via seaport taxi operators.

Guests using option 2 must take approved taxis dispatched from secure designated taxi facilities within the Bridgetown Port or must have a pre-booked tour confirmed by email from an approved tour provider for pick up in the Bridgetown Port.

What about free shore leave? Fully vaccinated guests arriving into Barbados with a negative Antigen test taken within 3 days of arrival will be permitted free shore leave.

Chec some k out wond of our e excur rful shore s the fo ions on llow page ing s

Coco Hill

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Special offers just for you!

Look out for discounts and deals on activities and experiences all season long! Click here or scan the QR code for details.

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Barbados

Alive

Round The Town This 3-hour long tour takes you around Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison with captivating architecture, houses of worship and British colonial historic points of interest.

The Green Trail You will see the names of Barbadian icons Rihanna, Sir Garfield Sobers and the Mighty Grynner on your route with this 4-hour tour that takes you from the urban setting to deep into the countryside of the island.

Cross Country This tour takes us through the Bridgetown city centre, and leads us into the lush St. George Valley before heading to Bathsheba. The return journey takes us through the sugar belt, back to the Bridgetown Port.

Best of the West We drive through one of the most densely populated areas including a public housing project. We approach the West Coast and visit Speightstown, once a major shipping port.

On our return, we stop at Limegrove Lifestyle Centre, with its internationally recognised brand-named shops.

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One

For The

Road!

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Before you head back to your homeland, enjoy one last hurrah on our shores with the comforts of Copacabana!

Stow your luggage in a convenient locker on premises, kick off your shoes and head to the beach and relax in a luxurious lounger or cabana while sipping on cocktails. If you want to squeeze in some more adventure, there are many watersports activities available, too. The air-conditioned restaurant and cocktail bar serve up enticing meals and drinks while you catch up on sports on the big screens in the lounge. Feel free to freshen up in the changing rooms complete with showers before you leave on the shuttle to the airport. For more details, contact 1(246) 262-COPA. Facebook @copacabanabb

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See you

soon!

If you’ve ever dreamed of living where you vacation Barbados is making it a reality with the 12-Month Barbados Welcome Stamp. This one year visa gives visitors the opportunity to work remotely. For more details visit https://barbadoswelcomestamp.bb/ Barbados’ accommodation choices caters to those looking for luxurious all-inclusive resorts, intimate hotels with outstanding service and amenities, private villas or a home away from home like an Airbnb or HomeAway property. These longer stay visitors will now be able to utilise cruising to explore neighbouring islands in this enchanting archipelago, all from the homeporting hub, Barbados.

Check out https://www.visitbarbados.org/travel-guidelines-2021 to stay up-to-date.

Visitors arriving on transit calls are free to disembark and select from a series of Supervised Shore Excursions via authorized Taxi Operators and independent Tour Operators.

Please visit our website for further information.

Pre & post

stays

Barbados is pleased to welcome cruise visitors to our shores again to experience all the island still has to offer. The vast number and amazing diversity of attractions and experiences in Barbados encourage longer stays – more than just a few hours in a single day can fulfil. The longer the cruise stay and island encounter, the greater the chance to celebrate Barbados with its people, beautiful landscapes, food, rich heritage and beaches too.

Contact your travel agent for booking information on our pre and post cruise packages.

www.visitbarbados.org

VisitBarbados

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VisitBarbados

Barbados