The recently concluded 2025/26 cruise season in Saint Lucia has been described as the strongest since the pandemic, with arrivals nearly reaching pre-Covid levels.
Javan Lewis, business intelligence manager at the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority (SLTA), reported 673,700 cruise arrivals, an 8% increase from last season and just 0.5% below the record set in 2018/19.
Still, ship calls were up only slightly; 280 cruise calls compared to the previous season’s 278 cruise calls. “So that means that we had a difference of 1% more, and when we compare that to the best cruise season of 2018-2019, that’s down 11%,” Lewis told a sectoral review meeting on May 26.
But as the vessels these days are larger, they carry more passengers. “So we’re seeing growth in arrivals despite fewer calls,” he said.
“So as much as the cruise calls were down 11% compared to the best cruise season, we still would have realised an increase in cruise arrivals compared to the previous season of 8%.
“That means that closer and closer we’re getting to our pre-pandemic highs in regards to cruise arrivals, and that is very encouraging for the sector, for our vendors, for our taxi drivers and everybody else involved in the sector.”
A pilot survey by the SLTA showed that most cruise visitors came from the US (42%), followed by the UK (31%). The average visitor was 52.7 years old, and 70% were women.
Most visitors (63.9%) chose self-guided activities. On average, each visitor spent US$80, totalling about US$48.7 million (EC$131 million) in direct spending.
“Most of the time on shore is one to six hours. That means we need to prioritise high-quality half-day options and close to port experiences, so that’s an area in which we probably need some significant improvement,” Lewis advised.
Visitor satisfaction stayed high: 96% enjoyed the local food, 94% were happy with guided tours, 95% liked shopping, and overall satisfaction was 95%.
The review session was held at the Harbor Club in Gros Islet. The Department of Tourism, SLTA and Saint Lucia Cruise Port hosted the event, bringing together Customs, tour operators, port agents, taxi operators and health officials.
Lance Arnold, general manager of Saint Lucia Cruise Ports, encouraged participants to see the forum as an “operating meeting” rather than just a “talk shop”.
“It is through being uncomfortable that we can enact change. If we are comfortable, we will not change,” he said.
Permanent Secretary in the Department of Tourism, Donalyn Vittet, agreed on the need for solutions.
“In welcoming you here, I want you to understand that we are here to solve problems, not just to call them out,” Vittet said. “But I want in a big way going forward for us to put concrete means to solve them.”
