Freeport, Grand Bahama Island, October 14, 2019…. Carnival Cruise Lines made its eagerly anticipated return to Grand Bahama Island on Friday, October 11, bringing over 2,600 visitors to experience firsthand the island’s ongoing recovery.

The Grand Bahama Island Tourism Board (GBITB) welcomed the visit of the Carnival Pride as a big win for the island’s steadily improving tourism industry and a major boost to the island’s economy.   For their part, both the Carnival Cruise Line representatives and their guests were very happy to be on island to support the economy and give Freeport their heartfelt vote of confidence.

The Grand Bahama Port Authority in partnership with the Grand Bahama Taxi Union provided special taxi fares from Freeport Harbour for visitors disembarking from the ship.  The SoMo app offered $5 rides from Freeport Harbour to Taino Beach to encourage visits to a specially setup Taino Beach Marketplace displaying the best in Bahamian Arts, Crafts and Souvenirs from displaced vendors of the Garden of the Groves and Port Lucaya Marketplace, along with mouthwatering Bahamian drinks and delicacies at the Rum Runners Bar & Grill and Ian’s on the Bay (West End).

Taino Beach was transformed into a special marketplace for the day with the assistance of Carnival Cruise Line and a group of Grand Bahama Island Tourism Stakeholders.  Representatives from the Grand Bahama Island Tourism Board along with Ministry of Tourism Grand Bahama were among the greeters at Taino Beach.   Visitors were welcomed to the sights and sounds of Bahamian Culture – costumed Junkanoo performers and a live Bahamian Band kept the guests entertained throughout the day, much to their delight.

The highlight of the day came when the Dolphins of Sanctuary Bay put in an appearance.  Onlookers from the beach scrambled for their cameras to capture this amazing moment.

Over 15 additional tours were also on offer, including Dolphin Experiences and Swim programs, sailing tours, catamaran tours, beach tours, dolphin tours, Kayak, ATV and bike tours for the day, provided by Bahamas Adventures, UNEXSO, Grand Bahama Nature Tours and Reef Tours.

The inaugural post Dorian call was a great success, and Carnival will resume calls to Grand Bahama Island on a regular basis. The Carnival Pride was followed by the Elation, which docked in Freeport on Sunday, October 13.

For more information, and to assist with the recovery and reconstruction process on Grand Bahama Island, please visit the following sites: https://www.gbdisasterrelief.org/; https://rotary6990.org/; and https://www.bahamas.com/relief .