Cruise Ships Return to Falmouth November 8

• Cruise ships are set to return to Falmouth on November 8, following an 18-month absence due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Italian liner, Costa, a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation, will be making a much-anticipated call to the Trelawny capital. 
• Mayor Colin Gager, has said that the visit by the vessel is welcomed news for local officials, businesses, and residents. He indicated that plans are in place to welcome the Italian cruise liner as “some on the ground preparation” had started in Falmouth, including improving the the basic infrastructure, after the resumption of cruise shipping in Ocho Rios over two months ago. 
• Chief Strategist/Adviser in the Ministry of Tourism, Delano Seiveright, who was part of a delegation led by the Hon. Edmund Bartlett that met with cruise owners and officials in Miami, Florida, recently, told JIS News that the visit of the Costa cruise ship is only a “sample” of things to come. 
• Seiveright noted that Ocho Rios, which has been welcoming cruise passengers since August, has proven that Jamaica is adequately prepared to host ships during the COVID pandemic. This, he said, bodes well for other destinations, including Falmouth, and will open the gates for a plethora of ships to call on the island’s other ports in the coming months leading into 2022. 
• Continued recovery in the domestic cruise industry will support the tourism rebound. As at July 2021, there have been 716,221 tourist arrivals, which is below the 1.07Mn and 2.64Mn reported in 2020 and 2019, respectively.

(Source: JIS News & NCBCM Research)