Cruise tourism directly churned out a record US$3.36 billion in the Caribbean and Latin America in the 2017-2018 cruise season, over 6 percent rise from 2015 – as per the latest statistics from the Florida-Caribbean Association (FCCA).

Carnival Cruise Line has the first steel for its newest class of ship. At the same time, the American cruise giant revealed the new livery for the as yet unnamed 180,000-ton XL vessel.

The Norwegian Bliss, the latest ship by NCL, is heading to Miami to offer Eastern Caribbean cruises starting Nov. 17.

Additionally, in 2020, sister ship Carnival Sunrise (currently sailing as Carnival Triumph) will offer an expanded series of New York to Cuba cruises, and voyages to the Caribbean from New York and Norfolk.

The Florida-Caribbean Association (FCCA) announced that the 2017-2018 cruise year brought record economic contributions to the region, despite the historic hurricane season.

The FCCA Cruise Conference & Trade Show, the largest and only official cruise tourism conference and trade show in the Caribbean, opened November 5 in San Juan, Puerto Rico.