Key Aspects
- The passenger terminal will have dining and shopping venues, and the Antigua Day Club, which will feature a swimming pool.
- Top government officials explored the site, including the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda.
- The destination is predicting it will welcome 900,000 cruise arrivals in 2025.
A who’s who of Antigua’s governing elite turned their attention to the island’s very bright prospects in cruise tourism by touring the building site of the Caribbean destination’s new passenger terminal.
The inspection by government officials on July 21, 2025, showcased progress being made by Antigua Cruise Port in developing the terminal on Newgate Street in the capital city of St. John’s.
The project held its ground-breaking ceremony in February 2025 and is being overseen by Global Ports Holding (GPH), the London-based port management firm that took over operations of the port following an agreement in 2019 with the twin-island nation of Antigua and Barbuda.
The country is experiencing a fast-growing cruise-tourism industry, with port call arrivals steadily increasing each year.
The first phase of construction includes the building of the cruise terminal along with shopping and dining venues. That phase is expected to be completed in late 2025. Estimated to cost $40 million, the new terminal is slated to open in summer 2026.
The government delegation that inspected the terminal’s progress included those at the highest levels.
“When I came here about three months ago for the groundbreaking I never anticipated that you would have piled off the entire area and that a couple of the buildings would be significantly advanced,” said Gaston Browne, prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda.
“It tells me that the pace of work is extremely impressive, and we look forward to the completion of the first phase,” added Prime Minister Browne.
The new cruise terminal is situated on four acres and will feature a local marketplace and the Antigua Day Club, providing cruise guests with a swimming pool, restaurant, and bar.
The land-side area where the new terminal is rising used to be an unsightly space where sunken barges and boats were left to the elements.
Now the construction region, known as the Upland Development, is undergoing a transformation. Government officials praised Global Ports Holding for its commitment and investment in the project.
“What we are seeing today is a clear indication of what the cabinet and government acquired in terms of working with GPH,” said Charles Fernandez, minister of tourism in Antigua and Barbuda.
“Antigua and Barbuda was the first country in the region to sign with GPH and irrespective of the naysayers, they couldn’t understand the vision and the concept,” added Fernandez.
The country forged its pact with GPH in 2019, the year before the pandemic forced major cruise-tourism infrastructure improvements to be delayed. Now, however, they are proceeding.
GPH has vastly expanded its presence in the Caribbean in recent years. It manages cruise port operations at San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Nassau, Bahamas, and most recently finalized an agreement with St. Lucia, where it plans to build a cruise berth able to accommodate the world’s largest ships.
Antigua On Track to Welcome 900K Cruise Arrivals
Antigua experienced a record-breaking year in 2024, with 580 cruise ship port calls that delivered 825,000 guests to the island. The number reflected a 27% spike in ship visits and 23% growth in passenger numbers versus 2023.
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In 2025, the island nation estimates that 900,000 cruise passengers will visit. Among the ships calling at the port during summer 2025 are Royal Caribbean’s 2,400-guest Rhapsody of the Seas, Celebrity Cruises’ 3,000-passenger Celebrity Reflection, and Disney Cruise Line’s 2,700-guest Disney Magic.
Ship visits substantially increase during the winter months, with more and larger vessels calling at the popular port. In winter 2025-26 they will include P&O Cruises’ 5,200-guest Arvia and Royal Caribbean’s 4,100-guest Odyssey of the Seas.
