Romance and the High Seas Float Charleston to World's Top 10 Ports of Call

For Immediate Release, January 2006

(Charleston, SC) – Charleston has been christened romantic before, but this latest accolade brings a new pleasure. Porthole Cruise Magazine has named Charleston as one of the Top 10 Most Romantic Ports of Call. The Southern destination has the distinction of being the only continental U.S. port to be listed, and joins other quixotic cities like Barcelona, Bora Bora, Paris, and Rio de Janeiro.

The renowned romance writing team of Kathy M. Newbern and J.S. Fletcher from YourNovel.com. prepared the research for the list that will run in the January/February issue. Porthole Cruise Magazine serves a readership of 65,000

Walt Thorn, President of Cruise Services USA is honored to hear the news. He says, "Without question, Charleston is the perfect setting for a romantic cruise experience. Porthole magazine's high level recognition of Charleston validates the joint marketing and servicing efforts of many organizations -- the Ports Authority, Charleston International Airport, and the Convention & Visitors Bureau through Destination Charleston.”

This timely award follows on the heels of an announcement made earlier this week where Charleston ranked first in passenger satisfaction among all ports serving Norwegian Cruise Line.

Thorn, who handles NCL's guests locally as they board the Majesty, says that these credits correspond with the guest ratings he sees each week aboard the ship out of Charleston. He adds, “These honors are a tribute to our cooperative workforce, including the local and port police, check-in staff, longshoremen, port agent, hoteliers and our sincere desire for exceptional embarkation and airport arrival experiences.”

Destination Charleston is a joint venture of the South Carolina State Ports Authority, Charleston Aviation Authority and the Charleston Area Convention & Visitors Bureau with a mission to promote the Charleston area as a premier port-of-call for the cruise ship industry. Some of the programs focus include: working in conjunction with the Cruising America Coalition on various legislation, working with local sales representatives of various cruise lines to increase awareness of the Charleston Area, organizing a mini visitor center for each port-of-call visit and supporting cruise travelers with “Stay and Cruise” added values, packages and travel support through DestinationCharleston.info