Posted on January 25, 2018
By Beena Nadeem, cruise
Jamaica’s cruise tourism market is expected to match last years unexpected performance – and there is hope that the number of visitors could edge even closer to two million if current growth trajectories are maintained. The news comes at the same time as Jamaica calls a ‘state of emergency’ following a spate of murders this week.
The Port Authority of Jamaica is currently undergoing berth upgrades and dredging projects to accommodate larger ships, which it hopes will help boost numbers.
The Reynolds pier upgrade in Ocho Rios is expected to be completed next month, meanwhile a dredging project at the Falmouth port will get underway this year William Tatham, the Port Authority’s vice-president of cruise shipping and marina operations told Jamaica’s press.
Last year, cruise passenger visits amounted to 1.92 million, up 11 per cent from 1.65 million in 2016. Tourism ministry data indicates that spending per visitor went up to $91.67, from US $90.24 in the same time frame.
Tatham told Jamaica’s The Gleaner newspaper, ‘2017 was another record year for cruise arrivals in Jamaica. We were able to secure some additional business in the latter part of the year due to the damage to some of the ports in the Eastern Caribbean’.
He added that the government would be encouraging ships to stay longer in port so that passengers can have more time to shop and tour – including port fees, taxis and ground transportation services, attractions, duty free shopping, craft and souvenirs, and food and beverage.
He said the Port Authority is ‘projecting similar numbers to 2017 [1.92 million] because of the extra vessels the country received in that year – although final figures are still being cumulated.
The works at the Reynolds pier, costing US$22 million, is said to be transforming the area for cruise and includes a modern cruise berth, ground transportation facilities, and a promenade connecting the facility to the port town of Ocho Rios. That project is twinned with the rehabilitation of the Ocho Rios Fishing Village for US $4.5 million into a modern complex for food, entertainment and vending. The port project in Falmouth, Trelawny, will involve dredging the southern berth, and will start in 2018 and, said Tatham, will enable two Oasis-class vessels to dock at the same time.
Source: cruise
