Cruise ship operators are “chomping at the bit” to get back into Caribbean waters and some may be in Jamaica as early as next month, according to Tourism Minister Ed Bartlett.
“I think that August to October, in that three month window, will be when you will see a full resumption of cruise. We may see one or two smaller vessels coming in, perhaps in August. However… October seems to me the outer month for us to see cruise coming back to the region,” he said.
He pointed out, though, that all of this depends on how the region manages COVID-19 and the numbers of locals vaccinated in each country.
“Vaccination is of course the big elephant in the room and, for most of us in the region, we are at very low vaccination levels. We need to build that out and to put ourselves in a position to see highly vaccinated people and for them to move around seamlessly,” said the minister.
The Ministry of Tourism has been actively working for the return of cruise this summer, utilising a collaborative approach that will bring greater value for passengers, cruise lines and Destination Jamaica.
Several areas have been examined in discussions with the island’s cruise partners, including more meaningful linkages, homeporting, multiple calls, increased jobs, increased value to local brands and improving the passenger experience, which should translate into higher spend per passenger.
