Most Americans don't realize how Barbados has become a real powerhouse as a port of embarkation in the Caribbean. It's at the eastern end of the Caribbean (1600 miles from Miami), so Americans aren't likely to fly there to board a cruise. But that also means it's closer to Europe, so it's only logical Europeans will gravitate toward it. (It also eliminates the hassle of entrance into the US, if the ship's itinerary avoids US ports, which many of them now do for that very reason.)
An article in today's issue of Barbados' The Nation quoted Michael Ronan, the chairman of the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) and also and executive at Royal Caribbean, saying that Barbados' growth will be inhibited by its lack of airlift. As a result according to Ronan, the largest ships won't be homeporting there, and the island won't be seeing them until they include it seasonally as a port of call on their winter itineraries.
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