SHARE NOW
12 Nov 2025 - SEATRADE CRUISE
SEATRADE CRUISE
Global Ports Holding, commanding approximately 15% of the global cruise port market, is positioning itself for transformative growth across multiple fronts. In an exclusive interview, the company's chairman and CEO, Mehmet Kutman, outlined ambitious expansion plans spanning from Caribbean home porting initiatives to luxury passenger services.
GPH's Caribbean strategy centers on establishing major home porting hubs, with Antigua leading the charge. Since acquiring the port in 2019, the company has transformed operations from zero home porting passengers to an anticipated 60,000-70,000 passengers.
'When we took over Antigua, there was absolutely no home porting,' Kutman explained. 'We're finishing our home port terminal this November, and hopefully we'll reach a quarter million home porting passengers within the next three years.'
'Colombia is our primary target in Central America,' Kutman revealed, signaling a carefully calibrated approach to a region brimming with untapped potential. Mexico's ports emerge as 'very, very relevant,' while Brazil, Honduras, and emerging markets represent promising new territories.
The luxury segment represents a particularly promising frontier for GPH. Kutman is personally leading the development of a 'white glove concierge service' targeting ultra-high-end passengers. 'The ship may be extremely luxurious but people paying $15,000-30,000 per person for seven-day cruises are not currently receiving the level of service they deserve [in port],' asserted Kutman.
'It will be very different from what anybody has ever seen… They'll be treated better than first-class airplane passengers,' Kutman revealed.
Read the full interview in the December issue of Seatrade Cruise Review coming soon.
12 Nov 2025
SEATRADE CRUISE
Global Ports Holding, commanding approximately 15% of the global cruise port market, is positioning itself for transformative growth across multiple fronts. In an exclusive interview, the company's chairman and CEO, Mehmet Kutman, outlined ambitious expansion plans spanning from Caribbean home porting initiatives to luxury passenger services.
GPH's Caribbean strategy centers on establishing major home porting hubs, with Antigua leading the charge. Since acquiring the port in 2019, the company has transformed operations from zero home porting passengers to an anticipated 60,000-70,000 passengers.
'When we took over Antigua, there was absolutely no home porting,' Kutman explained. 'We're finishing our home port terminal this November, and hopefully we'll reach a quarter million home porting passengers within the next three years.'
'Colombia is our primary target in Central America,' Kutman revealed, signaling a carefully calibrated approach to a region brimming with untapped potential. Mexico's ports emerge as 'very, very relevant,' while Brazil, Honduras, and emerging markets represent promising new territories.
The luxury segment represents a particularly promising frontier for GPH. Kutman is personally leading the development of a 'white glove concierge service' targeting ultra-high-end passengers. 'The ship may be extremely luxurious but people paying $15,000-30,000 per person for seven-day cruises are not currently receiving the level of service they deserve [in port],' asserted Kutman.
'It will be very different from what anybody has ever seen… They'll be treated better than first-class airplane passengers,' Kutman revealed.
Read the full interview in the December issue of Seatrade Cruise Review coming soon.
