KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent, Oct 23, CMC – St. Vincent and the Grenadines will on Monday sign an agreement with Global Ports Holding (GPH) as the government moves to expand cruise operations and increase the benefits the sector brings to local businesses and residents.
In July, the government signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with GPH, the world’s largest cruise port operator, paving the way for a 30-year concession and up to EC$250 million (One EC dollar=US$0.37 cents) in phased investment to modernise the Kingstown Cruise Terminal and expand cruise tourism across the country.
Tourism Minister Dr. Kishore Shallow has described the signing as a milestone in the development of the country’s cruise sector.
He told Parliament that the partnership is intended not only to accommodate growth in cruise tourism, but also to ensure more of the industry’s economic value reaches Vincentians, including taxi and tour operators, vendors, restaurants and retailers.
Shallow said the government’s assessment of the sector, including discussions with cruise lines and industry representatives, had highlighted a challenge: ships are getting larger, while existing infrastructure cannot accommodate some of them.
He said St. Vincent and the Grenadines is currently unable to host XL-class vessels and that larger ships operated by companies such as Britannia and Carnival have also presented difficulties.
Shallow said as an interim measure, a Carnival cruise line would be hosted at the Modern Port in Kingstown because the existing cruise-ship port could not accommodate it and that the government planned a fun fair and a “Carnival for Carnival” jump-up to mark the visit.
Shallow said rising cruise-ship calls and passenger numbers as a reason to prepare for further growth.
He told Parliament that during the 2024-25 season, the island recorded 231 calls and 247,000 passengers, followed by 246 calls and 239,000 passengers in 2025–26.
He said that for the 2026–27 season, Sr. Vincent and the Grenadines is projected to receive 355 calls and 344,000 passengers, an increase of 43 per cent over the previous season.
During his presentation, Shallow outlined four priorities for the tourism ministry, namely the Love SVG initiative, product development, rebranding and a “cruise shipboard transition”.
He said the rebrand would include a new logo to be displayed at the upcoming Independence Parade, while product development would focus on offering visitors an authentic Vincentian experience.
Shallow made reference to ports in The Bahamas and Puerto Rico that are managed by GPH and have been transformed through the company’s investment.
He said the government hoped to see similar development here even as he acknowledged the country’s financial constraints and the need to compete with other Caribbean destinations for cruise business.
CMC/lkc/ir/2026