PORT ZANTE — St. Kitts and Nevis have welcomed four large cruise ships simultaneously at Port Zante, for the first time ever.

Prime Minister Timothy Harris and other high-ranking officials greeted the combined 12,000 cruise passengers upon arrival on Dec. 16. The government doubled the port’s capacity by building a second cruise pier.

Though only partially handed over, having a second pier allowed St. Kitts to accommodate Seabourn Odyssey and Celebrity Summit beside Anthem of the Seas and Britannia.

More visitors means that more money is being spent in nearby restaurants and attractions, while tour operators could increase the scale and scope of their services, say officials.

“This is a tremendous achievement for us,” said Racquel Brown, CEO of the St. Kitts Tourism Authority. Tourism Minister Lindsay Grant said that the second pier is “a great facility, it costs a lot of money and we expect to see millions coming to our shores on an annual basis.”

The twin islands that form one country – St Kitts and Nevis – are aiming high in the 2020 cruise season and beyond, and looking to exceed the one million cruise passengers mark per cruise season.