One of the Bahamas’ popular cruise ports will undergo several “smart” upgrades over the coming months to provide cruise passengers with a better, more connected experience. Scheduled to launch sometime in the second quarter of 2024, cruise passengers will be able to enjoy free high-speed internet while in port.
Nassau becomes Caribbean’s ‘smart city pilot’
Already one of the most popular cruise destinations, nassau, bahamas has recently aspired to become the “Innovation Center of the Caribbean”. The next step in the plan is to improve the island’s technology, and tourism authorities are keen to invest in this.
As one of many projects born out of a competition called Innovate242, which aims to bring together entrepreneurs, researchers and business leaders to solve technology-related challenges in the Bahamas, Nassau will have a Equipped with high speed WiFi. Ports as “smart city pilots”.
Installation will begin on February 14, 2024, and WiFi is expected to be available at cruise ports sometime during the second quarter of this year. The service is free and is expected to extend as far west as Arawak Cay and as far east as the Sir Sidney Poitiers Bridge.
Nassau officials say installing Wi-Fi is a win-win. Local tourism departments can collect data from the approximately 12,000 cruise passengers who visit each day to better market to them while improving their experience at the port. Of course, visitors can use his WiFi for free.
“A tripartite collaboration between the Ministry of Tourism, Investments and Aviation, the Ministry of Arriv/Cable and Bahamas and the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology has brought modern internet infrastructure to the city centre.” said His Highness. I. Chester Cooper, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism, Investment and Aviation.
“This technology will facilitate seamless connectivity and allow us to collect critical data about the thousands of cruise passengers visiting our city, allowing us to more efficiently enhance their experience in our city. can.” Deputy Prime Minister Cooper added.
WiFi on cruise ships can be expensive and slow, so free WiFi in port is a nice break for passengers. Depending on the cruise company, Internet packages range from $7 (USD) to $89 per day. For example, Princess Cruises recently increased the price of its premium WiFi packages. From $60 to $80 per day.
Cruise ship WiFi is also notoriously slow, but it’s getting better as more cruise lines come on board. Switch to Starlink Maritimeis a SpaceX program that uses satellites orbiting the Earth in space to provide high-speed internet. However, faster coverage is not available everywhere (Alaska, Sweden, Finland, and Norway are excluded, for example), and not all ships are yet equipped with Starlink.
Nassau makes major improvements to cruise port
Installing free WiFi is just one step in Nassau’s plan to promote cruise tourism on the island.In fact, destinations in the Bahamas are already Four years and $300 million to renovate cruise port.
With its grand opening on May 26, 2023, this revitalized port boasts expanded cruise facilities with brand new berths and a newly renovated pier, accommodating up to six cruisers at a time, including super-large ships like the Royal. The port can now accommodate one cruise ship.caribbean sea icon.
Taking a closer look at the numbers, the increase in cruise port capacity means the island will be able to accommodate an additional 10,000 cruise passengers per day, increasing maximum capacity from approximately 20,000 to 30,000. Masu.
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Additional enhancements beyond WiFi are also on the way for 2024. While Phase 1 of Nassau’s improvement plan focused on accommodating more and larger cruise ships, Phase 2 is focused on improving the land-based experience. For example, a new signature restaurant and several other family-friendly attractions are also expected to be completed in 2024.
So far, Nassau’s efforts are bearing fruit, with further growth expected in 2024. The islands of the Bahamas welcome almost all people. 4.5 million cruisers by 2023, a new record for the year. Also, on December 27, 2023, she set a record for the highest number of visitors in a single day, with 29,316 passengers in port. The highest number of passengers ever was 28,554. February 27, 2023.
