Cruise Industry Recovering Strongly – Minister Bartlett

• Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, says the cruise industry is recovering strongly, following a lull due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Speaking at a destination assurance meeting in Ocho Rios, St. Ann, on April 20, Mr. Bartlett said Jamaica continues to see an uptick in cruise passenger arrivals, with approximately 855,000 visiting in 2022 and further indicated that 1.4 million passengers are projected to arrive during the current calendar year.
• The Minister said cruise lines have further demonstrated their confidence in Jamaica by recruiting approximately 10,000 Jamaicans to work on ships overseas in 2022. He highlighted that based on d discussions, with the executives of major cruise lines, Jamaica remains a first-call destination on their list, and should be seeing increased activity over the coming months.
• The cruise subsector is rapidly growing and becoming a viral component of the global tourism industry owing to pent-up demand. That said, the Royal Caribbean International (RCI) has committed to increasing the number of passengers brought to Jamaica in 2023 while strengthening its training partnership with the Caribbean Maritime University (CMU).
• The growth of cruise tourism in Jamaica presents a significant opportunity to drive the resurgence of the tourism industry, create employment opportunities, and contribute to economic growth in FY2023/24.

(Source: JIS News)