The growing number of cruise ships choosing to include Grand Bahama in their itineraries is exciting news for the Ministry of Tourism, Investments, and Aviation (MoTIA), according to Nuvolari Chotoosingh, the General Manager for Grand Bahama who said that he hopes the trend will continue. Chotoosingh shared those sentiments while welcoming Captain Inger Kjellin, the crew and passengers of the Norwegian Jade to the island last week for the first time. “Having the Norwegian Jade come into Grand Bahama for the first time is certainly a testament to the hard work and negotiations that the Ministry of Tourism is doing in collaboration with the Freeport Harbour Company in order to have ships make new calls to the island,” Chotoosingh said.
He said, “This arrival demonstrates an increase of persons coming to the island by cruise and I hope we continue to see this trend.” Noting that the unscheduled visits may be due to weather or some other instance, Chotoosingh said tourism officials are thankful when the ships make an unscheduled call. “It allows us to showcase what Grand Bahama has to offer, and it gives the vendors at the harbour and throughout the island an opportunity to make money they may not have made otherwise,” he said.
Questioned if MoTIA is aware of increased economic benefits for vendors during the unscheduled ship dockings, Chotoosingh said, “We are always encouraging entrepreneurs and small business owners to get out there, see what the industry is perh.
