Barbados: 20,000 cruise ship passengers?

Cruise ships will land whopping 20,000 passengers in Barbados on the day of the Cricket World Cup final in April 2007. “While this will obviously provide taxi drivers, shops, island vendors and restaurants with an considerable increase in business,” writes ^[1] Linda Thompkins, “one also has to wonder if 20,000+ cruise passengers arriving on the same day can actually be serviced.” Also being prepared in time for the Cricket World Cup is a medical facility at Barbados's newly renovated international airport. While acknowleding the facility's necessity, Thompkins remarks that “This will add to the cost of the multi-million dollar renovation that has been plagued by delays and cost over runs.” ^[2]