Port St. Maarten Embarks on New FCCA Sponsorship Package for Sustained Growth

Fort Lauderdale, FL. (March 15, 2017) – The FCCA is proud to announce that the Port St. Maarten, a long-time FCCA Featured Marketing Partner and prominent cruise port and destination, embarked on a new FCCA sponsorship package to continue its cruise tourism growth by showcasing the port and destination throughout all of the FCCA’s function and to its partners and 19 Member Lines.

“The FCCA could not be prouder to partner with Port St. Maarten for this new package,” said Michele Paige, President, FCCA. “The port and destination have always taken the necessary actions to improve its cruise tourism, and this new step will ensure the best possible access to the industry to drive more passengers and higher spending, leading to a continued mutually beneficial relationship between the industry and St. Maarten.”

“This new marketing partnership demonstrates the Port’s commitment to reinventing cruise tourism which was set out in 2014 during the 21st Annual FCCA Cruise Conference & Trade Show, and growing the Sint Maarten cruise tourism product,” said Mark Mingo, CEO, Port St. Maarten. “Our destination has experienced long-term success in directly working with the FCCA’s Member Lines and cruise executives, and the increased exposure and access from this agreement should lead to greater benefits for our economy and residents in the years ahead. It is essential that we remain proactive as a destination and our commitment as a port to the new FCCA sponsorship package once more demonstrates the aforementioned.”

The significance of utilizing the FCCA’s sponsorship opportunities is clear by St. Maarten’s results. A Featured Marketing Partner since 2008, St. Maarten experienced a 40 percent increase in FCCA Member Line passenger arrivals between 2008 and 2015.

The new, all-encompassing President’s Package will continue this momentum by spotlighting the Port and destination throughout all of the FCCA’s functions, including meetings with cruise executives; events such as FCCA’s exclusive membership events, Seatrade Cruise Global and the annual FCCA Cruise Conference & Trade Show; and even in the FCCA’s e-mail signatures.

The package will also highlight St. Maarten through the FCCA’s publications, including Travel & Cruise, the official magazine of the global cruise industry produced through the partnership of the FCCA and Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), a weekly e-newsletter, social media posts and internally distributed material.

Plus, it includes a Destination Pavilion at the FCCA Cruise Conference & Trade Show, which casts the biggest net to catch 1,000 interested stakeholders and more than 100 cruise executives, presidents and CEOs at the largest cruise conference and trade show in the Caribbean, taking place in Merida, Mexico from October 23-27, 2017.

Perhaps the biggest benefit is having direct access to the cruise executives who decide where ships call, what to sell onboard and how to invest in products and infrastructure. And the President’s Package amplifies this by offering unprecedented meetings with the FCCA Managing Committee, comprised of presidents representing the FCCA’s 19 Member Lines, and a private meeting with Adam Goldstein, President & COO of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. and Chairman of the FCCA.

About the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA)
Created in 1972, the FCCA is a not-for-profit trade organization that provides a forum for discussion on tourism development, ports, safety, security, and other cruise industry issues and builds bilateral relationships with destinations’ private and public sectors. By fostering an understanding of the cruise industry and its operating practices, the FCCA works with governments, ports and private sector representatives to maximize cruise passenger, crew and cruise line spending, as well as enhance the destination experience and increase the amount of cruise passengers returning as stay-over visitors. For more information, visit F-CCA.com, the FCCA on Facebook, and @FCCAupdates on Twitter.