Carnival Corporation purchased 5,000 palm trees for its new cruise port destination, Celebration Key. The grown palm trees were all grown locally in Grand Bahama from seed. 40 percent of these trees were purchased from small-scale community growers on the island through the company’s “Plant a Tree” initiative, which was designed to help showcase the island’s natural beauty to cruise guests while supporting local growers and the community financially.
Carnival’s Senior Port Services Manager Raque Mota said, “The Grand Bahama community’s enthusiastic participation has been instrumental in achieving this milestone, The initiative was launched in October 2023 and we have already met our target for the first phase. We want to congratulate and say thank you to every local grower who took part. We encourage them to keep up the good work as Carnival Corporation intends to continue partnering with as many Grand Bahamians as possible as we move toward the opening of Celebration Key.”
Carnival Corporation hosted a tree planting event on Wednesday, April 24, 2024, celebrating top contributors in the areas of “Best Quality Plants” and “Most Plants Provided.” The winners received project shirts, dinner vouchers, and an invitation to visit Celebration Key once it is open.
The focus on palm trees is just Phase one of Carnival’s initiative. Phase 2 will launch on May 9, 2024, and will focus on native plants including Gumbo-Limbo, Seagrape, Silver and Green Buttonwood, Green Island Ficus and Bougainvillea of various colors.
“Once again, we are calling on the Grand Bahama community to participate actively. We are looking for plants with good foliage and roots, among other quality requirements so bring us your best green thumb efforts!” continued Mota.
Local grower Leslie Saunders, who has sold more than 200 plants to Carnival Corporation so far and intends to continue supplying plants as the initiative continues, said, “We are very thankful for this initiative as it has allowed us to profit from working on the land. I want to thank Carnival for believing in Bahamians and supporting the efforts of local growers in a meaningful way. It is also a source of pride to know that the development will be beautified by native plants, born and raised in Grand Bahama.”
Throughout the stages of this initiative, Carnival Corporation is looking to beautify Celebration Key with 200,000 locally grown plants. The company plans to adorn the destination with the very best of Grand Bahamian natural splendor while supporting Bahamians economically. Mota concluded, “Together we can create a vibrant, sustainable environment that benefits both locals and visitors alike.”