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The Caribbean island of St Vincent is eyeing cruise visitors for a major new theme park based on the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise
Tom Anstey | Planet Attractions | 29 Jan 2024
A Pirates of the Caribbean theme park is being planned for the Caribbean island of St Vincent Credit: Disney
Plans have been announced to build a theme park based on Pirates of the Caribbean, with the attraction set to come up on the island of Saint Vincent - the filming location for the original movie.
Already a popular tourist activity on the island, visitors regularly tour the set of Pirates of the Caribbean, with stops including Fort Charlotte, the Fishing Village of Layou, Barrouallie, Wallilabou Recreational Park, and Buccama Beach.
Now, Carlos James, minister for tourism for the government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, has promised a significant boost to island tourism, with plans for an official theme park based on the franchise.
“We’re looking at scouting lands closest to the beach to accommodate a state-of-the-art theme park, which will include a restaurant, pool, and more,” he said.
“This year, we will also explore and conceptualise designs for a Pirates of the Caribbean-themed park at Wallilabou. It is important that we look at how we can further develop our tourism product offering. We have to ensure that we have all of the right services and sites that meet quality standards to ensure that people who come to the destination can really see the true benefit of our product.”
James revealed that beach access would be required for “persons coming by sea”, presumably the lucrative cruise industry, which saw a 120% increase in cruise visitors from January to December 2023 - a record that even exceeds pre-pandemic numbers by 1.3%.
James added that a Pirates of the Caribbean theme park has been a long time in the making, with implementation of that plan to start in 2025. Little is known about what the park would actually feature, though it will incorporate the film’s motif in its design.
The film’s set was built in Wallilabou Anchorage for the original 2003 film, which was inspired by the ride of the same name at multiple Disney theme parks. During filming, a hotel, restaurant and a customs office were transformed into the village of Port Royal - the famous pirate town. Visitors today can still see many props still in place, which were left following filming.
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