Only 28 to 32 percent of cruise passengers in Antigua currently take part in organised shore excursions, highlighting a major opportunity for increased local economic activity, according to Operations Manager Rawle Reynolds.

Speaking during the Cruise Connect forum, Reynolds announced that the port is introducing electronic tracking systems to better understand visitor behaviour and spending patterns.

The technology will include smartphone-based tagging to monitor passenger movements more accurately, especially those not engaged in pre-booked tours.

“Most of the vessels that come here, it’s been a very tedious process of trying to track their actual number of passengers actually disembark on land,” Reynolds said.

The new system, he added, will provide clearer data on “unique numbers [of those] who actually come into our shores broken down significantly.”

Port officials believe the data will help tailor services and boost local business participation in the growing cruise sector.