KRALENDIJK – The Executive Council believes a better and particularly more in-depth analysis is necessary when it comes to the development of cruise tourism on the island. This was made clear during the weekly press conference of the Executive Council on Friday. 

Commissioner Clark Abraham stated that providing information solely on the total number of cruise ships visiting the island in a specific year yields little genuinely useful insights. Abraham wants to know when cruise ships visit the island and also what the capacity of the cruise ships is. He also noted that the growth in the number of cruise ships partly stems from the fact that cruise ships now consciously choose to visit the island during the low season. “More cruise ships do not necessarily mean more congestion, or that multiple ships will visit the island at the same time,” said Abraham. Abraham also emphasizes that better distribution is fundamentally beneficial for everyone, especially those working in this industry. 

Port Office

The desired analysis by the Executive Council will be carried out in collaboration with the Port Office. The Port Office is not only involved in keeping track of bookings and statistics for cruise tourism but is responsible for the entire management of the harbour, piers and ships, including cargo movements”.