Kingston, Jamaica :: Logos Hope's nine-millionth visitor is celebrated in the ship's onboard bookfair.
Logos Hope has welcomed the nine-millionth visitor to the book ship since she began operating in 2009.
In the port of Kingston, Jamaica, an unsuspecting member of the public received a celebration in her honour as she stepped off the gangway and into the world’s largest floating bookfair. Shamara Williams squealed, “This is the best day!” and danced with delight as crewmembers from the ship’s percussion group played drums, volunteers in an array of national costumes cheered and onlookers applauded.
Ms Williams, from the nearby district of Harbour View, was congratulated by the ship’s director, Pil-Hun Park (South Korea) and Captain James Berry (United Kingdom). She was given a personal tour of the vessel and received a voucher to spend $9,000 Jamaican dollars in the bookfair (USD 66 / EUR 60 / GBP 52).
Shamara’s two children were excited to select books on their favourite topics. Nine-year-old Dareign likes to read stories about adventure, doctors and animals while his four-year-old sister, Samoya, eagerly announced that she loves unicorns and fairytales.
Logos Hope has celebrated milestone visitor numbers in the Caribbean and Latin America region in recent years: the six-millionth guest stepped aboard in Guyana in December 2016, the seven-millionth in Mexico in April 2018 and the eight-millionth in Chile in May 2019. Just nine months later, a Jamaican becomes the nine-millionth.
Shamara has been on Logos Hope before – in 2010, the year her son was born. “At that time, my baby was too little and I couldn’t experience the entirety of the ship,” she told the crew. “You offering me a tour today is a wonderful fulfilment of my wish from then. I came today because I wanted my children to experience being on a ship. This treat is just ideal, and my mum is going to be very happy because it tops everything that I can get books for the whole family!”