TORONTO — Carnival has reportedly cancelled calls in Antigua for the 2019 – 2020 season and other Carnival Corp. cruise lines are said to be following suit.

The cancellations are said to stem from comments made by the Antiguan government.

Last month Antigua’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne accused the cruise industry and specifically the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) of “exploiting the Caribbean”, according to a report in The Daily Observer.

Media outlets including Fox News have reported that Carnival reps confirmed the move to drop Antigua. “Government officials in Antigua have taken steps which indicate they don’t want cruise lines and our guests to visit so for the time being we are focusing our itineraries on the destinations that are more welcoming.”

Now the St. Lucia Times and the Antigua Observer are reporting that Seabourn’s Seabourn Odyssey and Seabourn Sojourn, and Holland America’s Volendam and Konigsdam, have cancelled Antigua ports of call as well. Both Seabourn and Holland America are part of Carnival Corp.