A delegation from the Ministry of Tourism, Transport, Culture and Sport has attended a three-day conference in Florida centred around maritime tourism.

Seatrade Cruise Global 2026 featured representatives from high-profile cruise lines and port authorities from the Caribbean, North America and Taiwan.

Owen Darrell, the Minister of Tourism, Transport, Culture and Sport, led a delegation to the conference that included Carlita O’Brien, his ministry’s deputy Permanent Secretary, and Stacey Evans.

Mr Darrell said: “We look forward to this event every year and Seatrade Cruise Global 2026 once again proved to be an important and valuable opportunity for Bermuda.

“Over the three days, we held productive meetings, strengthened key industry relationships and gained useful insight into the future direction of global cruise tourism.”

Seatrade Cruise Global, which was held at the Miami Beach Convention Centre, featured the theme “Beyond the Horizon: Leveraging Cruising’s Strength and Scale to Drive Innovation”.

The conference ran between April 13 and April 15 and featured discussions on how to make the most of cruise calls for tourists and local interests.

On the first day, Mr Darrell met John W Chidsey, president and chief executive officer of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, and spoke with representatives from the Port of Baltimore and the Maryland Port Administration.

The following day, the Bermuda delegation attended a session on the state of the global cruise industry and met with the NYC Economic Development Corporation, which represented the Manhattan and Brooklyn cruise homeports.

Mr Darrell went on to meet Charles Chou, the director-general of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Miami and Yung-hui Chou, the chairman of the Taiwan International Ports Corporation, as well as officials from the Taiwan Tourism Administration.

He further met with Royal Caribbean Group, Carnival Corporation, Disney Cruise Line and Explora Journeys Cruise Line, as well as members of the Caribbean Tourism Organisation.

Bermuda’s 2026 cruise season started with 194 scheduled cruise calls and received an additional one, according to the ministry.

Although there were four weather-related diversions, 191 calls remain on schedule.

It is anticipated that next year will feature 210 cruise calls, while the Government has received deployment schedules from contracted cruise partners for 2028.

Mr Darrell said: “I am very pleased with these strong numbers and the positive economic outlook for Bermuda, both today and in the coming years.”