4 4 to showcase how Caribbean destinations are rebuilding in the wake of the pandemic. In November, for example, it joined with several partners to celebrate Caribbean Tourism Month, taking the opportunity to showcase the region as a safe destination that offers a diverse range of tourist attractions and experiences. “Our member countries have worked tirelessly over the past 19 months to adapt to the ever-evolving environment thrust upon us by the pandemic,” said the CTO when promoting the event. “They have implemented a range of initiatives, and stringent protocols, to ensure post-Covid competitiveness and to rebuild confidence in the sector.” In its Quarterly Statistical Review, which was published in June 2021, the CTO predicted the Caribbean would see a “quick rebound” in cruise tourism, noting that “cruise activity is expected to pick up during the remaining months of the year”. Certainly, cruise lines have been flocking back to Florida since the CDC regulations became voluntary, scheduling calls to destinations across the Caribbean, such as Aruba, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Curaçao, Dominican Republic, Grand Cayman, Jamaica, the British Virgin Islands, St. Lucia, St.Kitts, and more. Celebrity Cruises made history on 26 June when Celebrity Edge departed on a seven-night Caribbean cruise from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, becoming the first cruise ship to sail from a US port with paying passengers in more than a year. The vessel embarked on a rotating schedule of Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries from the port, which hosted almost four million passengers annually pre-pandemic, making it one of the three busiest cruise ports in the world. Since this momentous milestone, Port Everglades has served as the departure port for various Celebrity Cruises ships, including Celebrity Equinox, Celebrity Reflection and the new Celebrity Apex. Some of the other vessels homeporting in Fort Lauderdale this year include Silversea Cruises’ Silver Whisper, Holland America Line’s Nieuw Statendam, and Viking Orion and Viking Star, which are offering Viking’s first-ever series of cruises from the port to the Caribbean and Central America until 2022. Port Everglades celebrated another milestone on 6 November when it welcomed six cruise ships to the port – Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Edge and Celebrity Reflection, Princess Cruises’ Emerald Princess, Holland America Line’s Nieuw Amsterdam, Royal MSC Seashore was christened at MSC Cruises’ private Bahamian island, Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, before starting Caribbean cruises from PortMiami FEATURE: FLORIDA- CARIBBEAN CRUI S ING
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