The Grenada Board of Tourism referred to yesterday (Tuesday December 21, 2004) as the most productive day for Grenada’s cruise tourism industry, since the passage of Hurricane Ivan on September 7, 2004.Five ships arrived in Grenada, with two, the Norwegian Spirit and Braemer, docking at the newly opened, $24 million cruise ship facility on Melville Street, St. George’s.

This will bring a total of approximately 12,000 cruise ship passengers to the Spice Isle this week, with eight ships in total scheduled to arrive, including the Sunbird, Constellation, Norwegian Spirit, Oceana, C Columbus, among others.

The Board estimates that the arrival of these ships during the week will mean the introduction of more than $187,000 into the Grenadian economy.

Despite the devastation caused by Hurricane Ivan, the 2004 cruise ship season got underway on November 9. Between then and the official opening of the new St. George’s Cruise Ship Terminal Welcome Center on December 16th, some 29 ships have brought 24,100 tourists to Grenada.

At the handing over ceremony of the new cruise ship terminal last Thursday, a stunning video presentation of a project for the redevelopment of the City of St. George’s was shown to a thrilled audience.

The $400 Million project is slated to begin in 2006 and conclude in 2010. It involves the construction of a tunnel from River Road to Tanteen, along with the relocation of the port of St. George close to the Queen’s Park Stadium and the redevelopment of the Islander Hotel and Lagoon area.

The handing over of the new cruise ship terminal marked the completion of phase one of the joint venture between contractor, Zublin Grenada Limited, and the Government of Grenada.

The first phase of the project involved the construction of berthing facilities, a new welcome center, and parking facilities for taxis and tour operators. Thursday’s ceremony also saw a groundbreaking moment for the start of phase two of the project. This will include the construction of a duty free shopping mall on 35,000 sq ft of land.

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