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The milestone at Port Zante marks a major return for cruise tourism in St. Kitts, with more than 1 million passengers arriving on the island for the first time since the pandemic.
St. Kitts has officially welcomed more than 1 million cruise passengers for the first time since the pandemic, a major milestone for one of the Caribbean’s leading cruise destinations.
The island reached 1,002,282 cruise passengers, according to tourism officials, with the milestone celebrated at Port Zante in Basseterre, the heart of the island’s cruise tourism sector.
The figure continues a strong recovery for St. Kitts cruise tourism. We reported last year that cruise arrivals had climbed to a new post-pandemic high, when the island welcomed nearly 750,000 passengers during the peak cruise season.
Tourism officials pointed to the return above the 1 million mark as evidence of renewed confidence in the destination and the strength of the island’s cruise partnerships.
The milestone also carries an important economic impact beyond the port itself. Cruise traffic supports taxi operators, tour companies, artisans, vendors, restaurants and other businesses across St. Kitts.
Port Zante’s Growing Role
Port Zante has long been one of the Caribbean’s busiest cruise hubs, with its location in Basseterre making it a major arrival point for visitors exploring the island.
St. Kitts is also investing further in the port. The destination recently broke ground on a new cruise terminal at Port Zante, part of a broader push to expand the island from a port of call into a homeport destination.
That strategy is already drawing major cruise partners. P&O Cruises is planning to begin homeport operations in St. Kitts in 2027, meaning passengers will be able to begin and end selected cruises in Basseterre.
Popular cruise excursions include visits to Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park, rides aboard the St. Kitts Scenic Railway, beach trips on the island’s southeast peninsula and tours around historic Basseterre.
The return to more than 1 million passengers represents another important benchmark for St. Kitts, which was already topping the mark before the pandemic. When Port Zante debuted its $48 million second cruise pier in 2019, the island had recorded more than 1 million cruise passengers in consecutive seasons.
Now St. Kitts has reached the threshold again, bringing another major stream of visitors through Port Zante and into businesses and communities across the island
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