4 2 off the beaten path,” she says. “The state is known for its world-class beaches, but we also have 700 crystal clear freshwater springs where you can swim, paddleboard, kayak, take a glass-bottom boat ride or even swim with manatees. We also have more than 175 state and national parks with opportunities for hiking, biking, camping and more.” Organisations like Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) have also been instrumental in helping to facilitate the safe, sustainable and successful restart of cruising from Florida to destinations in the Caribbean, Central and South America, and Mexico. This year, the association hosted two in-person events – the FCCA-PortMiami Return to Sail Summit and the FCCA Cruise Conference – both of which enabled hundreds of port and destination representatives to meet with executives from FCCA member lines, which collectively operate over 90 per cent of the global cruising capacity. Discussions focused on how cruise lines, ports, destinations and other stakeholders can work together to capitalise on new opportunities for homeporting, longer port stays and multi-port itineraries in destinations. “We cannot be more honoured by the continued support of our member lines and partners throughout the Caribbean, Mexico and Central and South America,” says Michele Paige, president of FCCA. “Constant mutual exchanges between those parties have propelled cruising’s restart in our partner destinations, and we are proud that we could again bring together cruise executives and stakeholders at our keynote event to have these exchanges in person and further develop business and relationships.” Meanwhile, the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) has been working with its members and other stakeholders FEATURE: FLORIDA- CARIBBEAN CRUI S ING Holland America’s Nieuw Statendam began sailing seven-day cruises from Port Everglades to The Bahamas, Jamaica and Half Moon Cay in November
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