Antigua and Barbuda have welcomed Arvia, the largest cruise vessel to ever visit the destination.
The new vessel, owned by P&O Cruises, has a 5,200 passenger and 1,800 crew member capacity. The grand ship made its inaugural call at the Fifth Berth where it also conducted homeporting operations.
During the official welcome ceremony held by the Government of Antigua and Barbuda and Antigua Cruise Port, to mark the momentous occasion, Antigua and Barbuda’s Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation, Transportation and Investment, The Honourable Charles Fernandez remarked that the visit signifies a major development for our cruise sector.
Of future homeporting arrangements, the tourism minister remarked: “We look forward to continuing homeporting operations with great anticipation as it forms part of the plan to expand Antigua and Barbuda’s cruise tourism platform. We anticipate that this activity will reap significant rewards for several of our stakeholders including our taxi operators.”
Arvia will be homeporting in Antigua and Barbuda every other Saturday until March 11 2023 during this season. Arvia will also return for more homeporting operations in November 2023.
The homeporting exercise was coordinated by the Antigua and Barbuda Ministry of Tourism, Civil Aviation, Transportation and Investment, Antigua Cruise Port, Antigua & Barbuda Tourism Authority, the Antigua & Barbuda Airport Authority, Customs & Excise Division, and the Immigration Department.
