St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) is poised to lock in a transformative long-term partnership with Global Ports Holding (GPH), the world’s largest cruise port operator, with a formal concession agreement scheduled for signing this Monday, the country’s Tourism Minister Kishore Shallow has confirmed.
The upcoming agreement builds on a memorandum of understanding (MoU) agreed between the SVG government and GPH back in July. Under the terms of the planned partnership, GPH will secure a 30-year concession to operate the country’s cruise infrastructure, and commit to a phased investment package totaling up to EC$250 million. The core investment will go toward modernizing the aging Kingstown Cruise Terminal and expanding cruise tourism capacity across SVG’s multiple island destinations.
Addressing the country’s Parliament on Thursday, Shallow framed the upcoming signing as a defining turning point for SVG’s cruise tourism sector, one that goes far beyond just infrastructure upgrades. Unlike previous development projects, this partnership has been structured specifically to redirect more of the economic benefits generated by cruise tourism directly to local Vincentian workers and businesses, including independent taxi drivers, local tour operators, street vendors, family-owned restaurants, and small-scale retail businesses across the country.
The push for infrastructure upgrades comes as SVG faces mounting constraints that have held back the sector’s growth. Shallow explained that as cruise lines transition to larger and more profitable vessels, SVG’s current outdated terminal is unable to accommodate many of these new ships. The country currently has no capacity to berth extra-large (XL-class) cruise ships, and even mid-sized larger vessels operated by major lines including Carnival and Britannia have required special workaround arrangements.
As a temporary solution for an upcoming Carnival vessel visit that cannot fit at the existing terminal, the government will host the ship at the alternative Modern Port in Kingstown. To welcome the passengers and mark the unique visit, officials have organized a public fun fair and a cultural street party dubbed “Carnival for Carnival” jump-up.
Shallow noted that investment in expanded capacity is critical to keep pace with already growing demand for cruise stops in SVG. Official projections show the country is on track to see dramatic passenger growth in coming seasons: the 2024–25 cruise season is expecting 231 ship calls and 247,000 passengers, followed by 246 calls and 239,000 passengers in 2025–26. By the 2026–27 season, arrivals are set to jump to 355 ship calls and 344,000 passengers – a 43% increase in passenger volume, equal to roughly 105,000 additional visitors compared to the prior season.
Beyond the infrastructure partnership, Shallow outlined four key priorities for the Ministry of Tourism moving forward: the ongoing Love SVG national tourism initiative, product development, a full national tourism brand refresh, and a planned “cruise shipboard transition” to update on-board visitor offerings. The rebranding will include a new national tourism logo, set to debut at the upcoming Independence Parade, while product development work will focus on expanding authentic, culturally immersive experiences that highlight SVG’s local heritage for visitors.
Shallow pointed to existing GPH-managed ports in the Bahamas and San Juan, Puerto Rico as proof of the company’s ability to transform cruise destinations through targeted investment. While SVG faces financial constraints and stiff competition from other popular Caribbean cruise destinations, the minister expressed confidence the partnership will deliver comparable positive results for the country.
The final agreement is the result of months of extensive cross-functional work covering legal, technical, commercial, and policy review, with input collected from a wide range of local industry stakeholders. Shallow thanked the Attorney General and her legal team for their work on finalizing the agreement, noting that Prime Minister Godwin Friday will share additional details about the partnership with the public in the near future.