Montego Bay Welcomes First Vessel Since Cruise Resumption

  • The city of Montego Bay will on Wednesday (December 1), welcome the Carnival Glory, its first vessel since the resumption of cruise shipping to Jamaica four months ago. The passengers and crew of the mega vessel, a Conquest-class cruise ship operated by Carnival Cruise Line, will be calling on the tourism capital, ensuring that all Jamaican cruise ports would have received at least one ship since the reopening of the sector in August. Ocho Rios, Port Antonio, Falmouth, and Port Royal are the other cruise ports to have received ships. 
  • The expected arrival of the Carnival vessel is already reigniting the passion of local stakeholders, especially cruise-dependent entities such as craft traders, transport operators, souvenir shop owners, duty-free merchants, and attractions. 
  • Vice President of Cruise Shipping and Marine Operations at the Port Authority of Jamaica (PAJ), William Tatham, noted that they deliver a safe and rewarding cruise passenger experience and have also managed to implement the mechanisms, in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Wellness and also the Ministry of Tourism, to ensure a safe and secure restart of the cruise-shipping sector within the COVID-19 operational context. 
  • Since the restart of the cruise industry globally, ships are averaging between 50.0% and 60.0% occupancy and are anticipated to reach 75.0% occupancy during the first quarter of 2022 and full occupancy by the end of the second quarter of 2022. 
  • In Jamaica, from August 2021 to November 18, 2021, a total of 50,160 passengers and crew/staff disembarked cruise ships in Jamaican ports. The total number of ‘paying’ passengers (excluding crew) for the period was 29,045. This bodes well for the recovery efforts of the tourism sector.

 (Source: JIS News)