CHARLOTTE AMALIE — The Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) has signed a strategic development agreement with the territory that is focused on increasing the economic impact of cruise tourism in the destination in 2022., as first reported in Cruise & Ferry.
The agreement will provide the U.S. Virgin Islands with access to the members of the FCCA Executive Committee, which comprises executives from the association’s member cruise lines. Joint efforts from the partners will aim to achieve objectives including increased cruise calls, new experiences and products, better collaboration with the private sector, more employment and purchasing opportunities, creation of consumer demands, among others.
“This agreement is a further testament to the continued partnership that the US Virgin Islands has had with FCCA and the cruise industry,” said Micky Arison, chairman of FCCA and Carnival Corporation. “The destination has supported cruising through the best and worst of times, and I am proud that this agreement will make it possible to better the lives and livelihoods of so many people there.”
Cruise tourism generated $185 million of expenditure in the US Virgin Islands in 2017-2018, in addition to $77.9 million in total employee wage income, according to the Economic Contribution of Cruise Tourism to the Destination Economies report by market analysts Business Research & Economic Advisors.
“The U.S. Virgin Islands celebrates its steadfast partnership with FCCA and its member lines,” Tourism Commissioner Joseph Boschulte said. “Strategic marketing and collaborative programs promoting the allure of the cruise industry and our awe-inspiring islands are expected to provide the territory with a springboard for a speedy resumption, as we enter the endemic phase of COVID-19.”