Carnival and Royal Caribbean Sign St. Lucia MOU

Carnival Corporation and Royal Caribbean Cruises have signed an MOU with the government of Saint Lucia to form a joint venture to manage the island's existing cruise pier and terminal facilities at the Port of Castries and to design, construct and operate a new cruise port in Vieux Fort.

“Saint Lucia has had record breaking cruise arrivals over the past few years, and we thank our partners Carnival Corporation and Royal Caribbean for their continued confidence in our amazing destination,” said Prime Minister Allen Chastanet. “It is essential that we continue to diversify what we have to offer, grow our brand and ensure that different sectors in our island’s economy benefit from the growth in cruise tourism and that Saint Lucians can benefit from the opportunities which arise from the increased numbers; which means we have to improve our capacity.”

The cruise market is the fastest growing sector of tourism and in the next decade cruising in the Caribbean region is anticipated to increase by 40 percent. Together, the cruise line brands of Carnival Corporation and Royal Caribbean Cruises currently account for 75 percent of all cruise ship deployment to Saint Lucia.