Montego Bay, November 20, 2019 – Jamaica – Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, says Jamaica will see an increase in cruise ship arrivals, and by 2030 the country should see a projected three million visitors in a single year.
Speaking to JIS News following an address to business interests and tourism
stakeholders at the RJRGLEANER Hospitality Jamaica Awards, on November 15, at
the Montego Bay Convention Centre in St. James, Mr. Bartlett said that while
cruise shipping is currently experiencing a lull, the situation will be
changing dramatically in the coming years, where the Falmouth port, in Trelawny,
could see some 2,000 visitors.
Jamaica welcomed just over 1.2 million
cruise visitors in 2018.
“Cruise is moving in a particular
direction. For now, we are experiencing a lull because of some itinerary
rearrangements. However, the development of new ports in the area, and in
particular…the Cayman Port, is going to see the development of the most
lucrative cruise route in the entire Caribbean,” he said.
Mr. Bartlett said the Western Caribbean
itinerary, which features Falmouth, George Town (Cayman) and Labadee (Haiti),
has distinguished itself as the best and most exciting combination of islands and
a must-see for cruise shippers. He added
that currently, the Royal Caribbean Oasis-class vessels, including the Symphony
of the Seas, the biggest cruise ship in the world, are not going to Cayman, but
all that could change very soon.
“The big Royal Caribbean vessels are
wary of the tendering process, as Cayman doesn’t currently have a port. The
minute that situation is fixed, then we conceivably could become the number-one
cruise destination in the region,” the Minister added.
“If all of this materialises, we are
expecting that by 2023 there will be two million cruise visitors in Falmouth
alone. And remember that in 2020, Falmouth will be hosting some of the world’s
biggest cruise vessels, including the Symphony of the Seas, which will be
making its maiden voyage next May,” he noted.
Both Royal Caribbean Cruises and
Carnival Corporation, the two biggest cruise companies on the planet, are on
record in expressing an interest in increasing their fleet of vessels on the
Western Caribbean route.
Director of port business development
for Royal Caribbean, Miguel Reyna, said his company is looking to move more of
the larger Oasis-class ships to its Western Caribbean routes. He said the
smaller Freedom-class ships would be phased out and replaced with the larger
vessels, carrying more than 5,000 passengers.
David Candib of Carnival Corporation
gave a similar message. He said the cruise line is behind its competitors in
the shift to larger vessels, but is investing heavily in catching up.
Meanwhile, Mr. Bartlett said that while
Falmouth, Ocho Rios and Montego Bay will continue to get the lion’s share of
the market, the other cruise areas, such as Port Antonio, Kingston and now Port
Royal, which is slated to come on stream, will also be getting their “piece of
the action”.
Contact: Garwin Davis
Release: JIS
Photos: Garwin Davis
Tourism
Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett (holding his Pioneer Award plaque), with
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Jennifer Griffith (to his right), at the
RJRGLEANER Hospitality Jamaica Awards ceremony on November 15, at the Montego
Bay Convention Centre, St. James. Sharing the moment are team members from the
Ministry of Tourism.
Harmony
of the Seas, formerly the world’s biggest cruise ship, making one of its
routine calls at the Falmouth port in Trelawny.