Cruise arrivals all sharply in Trinidad and Tobago

The cruise sector of Trinidad and Tobago is facing a hard time with respect to the arrivals of tourists. The 2024 - 2025 season showed a sharp decline in the arrival of the cruise ship in the island.

Charles Carvalho, a veteran cruise agent shared data in which he revealed that Port of Spain just handled 12 cruise calls which is lower compared to the 37 calls in 2023 - 2024 season of the Trinidad.

Tobago is experiencing a more difficult time in comparison to Trinidad, falling from 67 calls to only 21 at the same time. The island cruise season officially starts in November to April every year and this season 2025 -2026 officially kicks off.

Notably, this year there is a chance of improvement for the nation as Tobago expects 33 cruise calls. Further, Trinidad is also expecting 10 cruise calls which is lesser than the previous year. The early prediction for the 2026-2027 season for Trinidad will welcome 13 cruise ships and 30 cruise ships will dock at Tobago.

Carvalho, who has served 41 years in the industry mentioned that decline of the cruise ships calls is not surprising. It is the after result of long standing structural and administrative problems which are not addressed properly.

He said the combination of rising operating costs, irregular police support and lack of strategic marketing make island competitiveness suffer.

The bus tour operators of both Trinidad and Tobago increased their rates 40 and 10 percent respectively which make the destination less attractive in a time where cruise lines are managing their cruise expenses.

He also talks about the importance of the island geography playing a crucial role in attracting tourists and appropriate routes for the ships. Trinidad is at the southern end of the Caribbean chain which is typically a longer route for the Eastern Caribbean routes.

Tobago geography provides benefits to the ships who were travelling between the Eastern Caribbean and South America route they used Tobago as an intermediate stop. This is the reason Tobago is more stable as compared to Trinidad.

He even mentioned more issues affecting cruise arrivals which include double taxation which is not seen in any other Caribbean island that put Trinidad in disadvantage. Due to the lack of brand recognition of the island, tourists don’t know where Trinidad is and lack of welcoming holiday atmosphere also affects the island tourist numbers.

The Tobago Division of Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce is looking into the taxi fares charges to cruise ship tourists. The President Curtis Williams said they have no information about the changes in the rates associated with the island's cruise operations.

He also mentioned there is a need for more structured communication between the key agencies and groups involved in cruise facilitation.