Saint Lucia’s Port named Best Port in the Caribbean

Saint Lucia’s Port Castries has captured another prestigious award. Port Castries was awarded the 2012 Porthole Editor-In-Chief Award for “Best Caribbean Port” from Porthole Cruise Magazine. Port Castries, which is managed and operated by the Saint Lucia Air and Sea Ports Authority (SLASPA),  welcomes over 300 cruise ships and handles approximately 600,000 cruise passengers per year.
“We are extremely pleased to be the recipient of such a prestigious award. Over the years SLASPA has made the necessary investments in berthing infrastructure and port-side facilities to ensure the safe and efficient facilitation of cruise vessels. Recognizing the growth potential of the cruise industry both regionally and globally, SLASPA developed a growth strategy as it relates to cruise port development,” said Dona Regis, Director of Marketing and Product Development.
“SLASPA continues to play a great role in the development of the cruise industry and winning this award reaffirms that we are doing something remarkable in Saint Lucia. We know that the port is only the front door to delivering a high quality cruise product, in this regard, we are working very closely with various public and private cruise stakeholders who are central to developing our cruise product,” continued Ms. Regis.
Port Castries has won other awards in the past including the prestigious Novaport Cup (awarded by the Port Management Association of the OECS) a record seven times and is also the recipient of three awards from the Caribbean Shipping Association. In 2000, Port Castries was named Port of the Year by the Caribbean Shipping Association. Also, in 2001 Port Castries won the Most Improved Port Facilities Award and Best Destination Experience in 2008 by Dream World Cruises.
Other Caribbean ports winning awards from Porthole Cruise Magazine include St Maarten for Best Caribbean shopping and Grand Cayman for Best Beaches.
Porthole Cruise Magazine is published bimonthly and distributed by Curtis Circulation Co., Fort Lauderdale-based Porthole Cruise. Magazine offers cruise and destination related feature stories, as well as information on industry trends, ship reviews, destination features, and onboard cuisine, entertainment, amenities, innovations, spas, and more. Porthole is owned by The PPI Group, which publishes more than 40 travel-related titles.