By Tahna Weston
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The Antigua Cruise Port’s upland development is expected to create between 75 and 100 jobs when it is completed in November, according to government officials.
Prime Minister Gaston Browne and Tourism Minister Charles Fernandez, along with other government officials and representatives of the cruise port, toured the site yesterday, September 1. Both Browne and Fernandez recalled that 12 years ago, when they viewed the area from the deck of a cruise ship, it was a rundown stretch of sunken boats and old cargo infrastructure. Browne described the transformation as remarkable.
“I’d say astonishing. They have transformed the area in a very short period of time,” Browne said.
Browne said the site is now among the finest upland developments in the world, crediting Global Ports Holding (GPH) and the owners for partnering with the government. He noted Antigua and Barbuda’s recent nomination for Best Cruise Port in the Caribbean and said annual cruise arrivals, now at around one million, could reach 1.5 million in the coming years.
The prime minister said the development includes 27 stores, most of them locally owned.
He linked the project to the wider Booby Alley Transformation Project, which has delivered 150 climate-resilient condominium homes in what was one of the country’s most run-down communities. Browne said the increase in trade and tourist arrivals should also raise government revenue, including through head taxes, in addition to creating direct employment.
“Well, I’m told that the upland development will provide between 75 and 100 direct jobs. And obviously, the increase in trade will result in an increase in government revenues and an increase in taxes, even the head taxes that we get from the increased tourism arrivals. We should see a general increase in revenues, an expansion of economic activities, more jobs, more opportunities for entrepreneurship. It’s just an exciting contribution to our tourism product.
“And we are very happy to accommodate this project and to partner with Global Ports to develop one of the finest upland facilities anywhere within the Caribbean region and beyond,” Browne told reporters.
Fernandez said the port now ranks among the best he has seen anywhere and that the development positions Antigua and Barbuda to attract higher-end cruise lines with passengers who spend more once ashore. Like Browne, he pointed to the site’s earlier state of disrepair, saying he had once feared visitors would be too intimidated to disembark.
The tourism minister also praised the taxi operators who serve cruise passengers, saying they have gone from ranking near the bottom in the Caribbean a decade ago to among the top today. Asked how the benefits would extend beyond the port itself, Fernandez said pre-sold tours will draw some visitors into St John’s, while the appeal of the site is also likely to encourage others to walk out and explore further afield. He said the development remains on schedule.
“I’m very much impressed with the progress, bearing in mind that we want to open in November. But separate and apart from that, there are visitors who may not want to do a tour, and they will look outside and decide whether to walk around or go back onto the ship. If it’s pleasing, as it is now, it will encourage them to come out.
“Once they come out, it is possible they will start to spend money in the space. What we need to do is ensure that we get as much as we can from the visitor in terms of being off the ship,” Fernandez said.
He confirmed that residents will have the same access to the new area as they currently have to Heritage Quay. On local vendor access, he said a number of stalls have already been rented to Antiguans, though he claimed some prospective local vendors missed out earlier because the opposition had downplayed the project at its inception. The tourism minister said anchor tenants, such as Diamonds International, are still needed alongside the majority-local retail mix, as is the case at Heritage Quay.
Antigua Cruise Port General Manager Gasper George said the outfitting of the retail stalls is under way, with work due to be completed by the end of October.
George said the port’s focus is now shifting to upgrading service standards, including moving from taxi operations to broader ground transportation and introducing guest information services. He said the new site is not meant to compete with Heritage Quay and Redcliffe Quay but to extend the overall port experience, both for visitors and for Antiguans seeking shopping, dining or leisure options of their own.
Ground was broken for the development in April last year on close to five acres of land, with the 10,000-square-foot terminal opening in February this year.
Cruise port upland development on track for November completion
