Norwegian Cruise Line has signed a memorandum of agreement with the Belizean government to develop a new port of call in southern Belize. The new 75 acre port will be called Harvest Caye and will be developed for a pricetag of $50 million.
Harvest Caye is made up of two adjoining islands, Stann Creek and Toledo located in southern Belize. In addition to the islands, a mainland area will also be developed to allow guests to transfer to excursions throughout Belize. Orlando based IDEA, Inc. has been selected to develop the new port and plan on incorporating a floating pier, island village with open-air structures on raised platforms, marina, transportation hub for tours to the mainland, a lagoon for a variety of water sports and a relaxing beach area.
The new port will have a special focus on being both eco-friendly and culturally emerged. According to Norwegian, “The goal is to design an authentic experience grounded in the storyline of nature, ancient culture, art, adventure and music that celebrates Belizean, Mayan and Garifuna history and culture.
“As our fleet continues to grow to 15 ships by 2017, we expect that we will double the number of guests sailing on our Western Caribbean itineraries and, once this new destination is complete, bring four times as many guests to Belize than we do today,” said Kevin Sheehan, Norwegian Cruise Line’s president and CEO. “In our quest to continuously look for new and exciting destinations for our guests, we plan to develop a cruise destination focused on sustainable design and eco-friendly principles that will retain the natural beauty and local culture of this tropical paradise.”
As of now, the port is still in the development stages and does not have a projected opening date.
