President Abinader and Minister Collado kick off the 28th annual conference of the FCCA

SANTO DOMINGO, DR. –The President of the Republic, Luis Abinader, and the Minister of Tourism, David Collado, officially kicked off the 28th edition of the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) conference, which takes place at the Jaragua hotel in Santo Domingo, on the October 11 to 14, 2022.

It is attended by 500 representatives from 40 countries, 14 shipping companies from the 23 members that make up the FCCA, and more than 60 cruise executives, including presidents, CEOs and platinum members.

The conclave will focus its activities on analyzing the challenges and future of industry operations in the new post-pandemic normality.

The cruise event held for the second time in the country, as a Platinum member of the FCCA and which this time chooses the Gran Salón Anacaona del Reinassance Jaragua Santo Domingo, will be another great opportunity to continue strengthening the leadership of the Quisqueyan destination in the industry, and the promising future that the construction of new seaports in Samaná and Cabo Rojo, Pedernales, will bring.

The Dominican Minister of Tourism, David Collado, highlighted the importance of this “cruise ship summit” for the strengthening of this tourism segment in the country, which has been registering sustained growth.

“This meeting of the FCCA in our country will surely mark a before and after in the arrival of the cruise industry in the Dominican Republic, especially with the arrival of more tourists by sea,” said Minister Collado.

He affirmed that more and more cruise passengers continue to arrive in the Dominican Republic and pointed out the economic impact that their presence has in the different destinations.

Adam Ceserano, president of the FCCA, highlighted the consolidation gained by the Dominican Republic as a cruise destination with its excellent port facilities, its stellar attributes of the destination and its tourism vision.

In addition to the presence of the representatives of the main cruise companies, the ministers of tourism from Honduras, Jamaica, Saint Lucia; St. Vincent and the Grenadines; St. Maarten and St. Kitts & Nevis.

Likewise, the heads of Tourism of Barbados, Cayman Islands, of Economic Development of Curacao and Grenada, as well as the Secretary of Tourism of Sinaloa, Mexico, and other government authorities of the insular Caribbean.

On behalf of the Dominican Republic, in addition to Minister Collado, the general directors of Customs, the Dominican Port Authority, Migration, the Dominican Navy, the Tourist Police (Politur) and directors of the tourist ports Romana Port, Sans Souci, Samaná, Amber Cove, Taíno Bay, among others.

Diary

Following the official opening ceremony of the Congress this Wednesday the 12th, at 9 in the morning, the first Presidential Panel will begin, in which cruise companies and executive directors will analyze how the operations of these companies overcame the Covid 19 crisis due to collaboration with destinations and what the new normal will be like.

By Thursday the 13th, shore excursion executives, insurance providers and training operators will come together to assess how tours have changed and what it means for tourism destinations.

Meanwhile, in the panel “Operating in a post-pandemic world”, the executives of the FCCA Operations Committee will detail the operations in the “new normal” post-pandemic.

Discussions will feature evolving protocols, updates from the Americas Cruise Tourism Working Group, status achievements, and destinations’ paths forward.

During the three days there will be private meetings between cruise line executives, panels and meetings between industry players.

In addition, there will be a fixed space (Marketplace), intended for exhibitions of handicrafts and gastronomy.