terminals for passenger traffic.<sup>13</sup> The passenger experience at a cargo terminal does not live up to that at a dedicated cruise terminal, which may prompt cruise passengers to choose different destinations. In addition, in contrast to hotel-based tourism, the cruise ship segment of the tourist industry brings a large number of visitors who spend no more than a day on the destination island, and spend relatively little. Therefore, OECS countries are trying to attract increased investments in hotel properties. For example, prior to the economic crisis, St. Lucia was anticipating a 40 percent increase in hotel capacity by 2008, to be spurred by the investments of large chains (Bofinger and Millan-Placci 2012). Similarly, St. Vincent expect its completion of a new airport to increase investments in larger hotels.

**The ports of St. John’s, Basseterre, and Castries together host 74 percent of total OECS passenger traffic.** Basseterre and Long Point are the only two ports where passenger traffic increased during the study period; Basseterre’s increased the most, at 35 percent (table 2.8). Long Point’s traffic increased by only 4 percent (this port has the lowest volume of passenger traffic in the OECS, receiving 4,000 passengers annually, or only 0.2 percent of the OECS total). Although Nevis is a relatively new port, more cruise ships are docking there as the cruise industry grows.

**Dominica and St. Vincent experienced the largest decline in cruise passenger traffic during 2008–12.** Traffic in Dominica decreased by 31 percent, possibly because of insufficient space for cruise ships. St. Vincent receives less traffic due to its location far south of the other islands, but the port is trying to increase traffic by attracting South American tourists.

**Table 2.5 Passenger Traffic, 2008 and 2012**

|**Port**|**Passen**|**gers**|**Grow**|**th**|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||**2008**|**2012**|**Change (%)**|**AAGR (%)**|
|St. John’s|597,124|567,707|-5|0|
|Woodbridge Bay/Roseau|378,963|262,814|-31|-5|
|St. George’s|296,181|247,884|-16|-3|
|Basseterre|397,507|535,290|+35|+9|
|LongPoint|3,857|4,020|+4|+4|
|Castries|610,343|571,894|-6|-1|
|Campden Park/Kingstown|116,709|77,179|-34|-8|
|**Total**|**2,400,684**|**2,266,788**|**-6**|**-1**|

_Source:_ Authors’ own elaboration on primary data. _Note:_ AAGR = average annual growth rate; OECS = Organization of Eastern Caribbean States.

**In 2009 all of the islands experienced an increase in passenger traffic, most notable in Antigua.** With 700,000 cruise passengers, Antigua far surpassed the rest of region during the period 2008–12 (figure 2.7). This is perhaps because it is the first point of call for most cruise ships coming from Europe; it is also the northernmost island among OECS members.

**With the exception of Castries, all members of the OECS experienced a decrease in passenger traffic in 2010.** Antigua experienced the largest decline, or 22 percent of total traffic, mainly due the impact of the Stanford crisis on the country’s economy. In 2012 Castries had the highest volume of passenger traffic, with 572,000 passengers. The Port of Woodbridge Bay/Roseau experienced a significant decrease in 2012, from 416,000 to 263,000 passengers.

> 13 No metrics were available on the frequency of cruise ships occupying cargo berths.

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