Cruise Ship Call To Port Royal A Success – Minister Grange
By: , January 22, 2020The Key Point:
Photo: Michael Sloley
Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Hon. Olivia Grange (centre), speaking with Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator the Hon. Kamina Johnson Smith; and President and Chief Executive Officer, Port Authority of Jamaica, Professor Gordon Shirley, at a reception held at the new Port Royal Naval Dockyard on Monday (January 20), to culminate the inaugural call of the Marella Discovery II to the historic town.The Facts
- She said the feedback from the visitors indicate that they were pleased with the day’s activities, which included a tour of various sites in the Corporate Area and nearby parishes.
- “Today has been, no pun intended, a dry run and I think it has gone very, very well. Port Royal is now open for business. Port Royal has a rich heritage, and all our guests who arrived today, they are in awe,” Ms. Grange said.
The Full Story
Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Hon. Olivia Grange, is hailing the inaugural call of the cruise ship, Marella Discovery II, to the historic town of Port Royal on Monday (January 20) as a success.
She said the feedback from the visitors indicate that they were pleased with the day’s activities, which included a tour of various sites in the Corporate Area and nearby parishes.
“Today has been, no pun intended, a dry run and I think it has gone very, very well. Port Royal is now open for business. Port Royal has a rich heritage, and all our guests who arrived today, they are in awe,” Ms. Grange said.
“Port Royal is a gateway for the city of Kingston. There were tours outside of Port Royal and those tours went very well,” she added.
Ms. Grange was speaking to journalists at a reception for the cruise-ship passengers at the new Port Royal Naval Dockyard, which culminated their day’s experience in Kingston.
She noted that with more cruise ships expected to call at Port Royal, this will create opportunities for artisans, performers, fishermen and others living and working in the area.
The Minister said that a number of persons were trained in preparation for the arrival of the Marella Discovery II and “it has paid off for them”.
“The residents of Port Royal, right now they are saying that they are so happy. They are overwhelmed and those who were not as involved, they now want to be involved and be given the opportunity,” Minister Grange said.
President and Chief Executive Officer of Port Authority of Jamaica, Professor Gordon Shirley, agreed that the day was a success.
“All of our technologies and systems worked well. The Sea Walk [and] the ground transport system, all of that has gone well,” he said.
“The culture of Jamaica was on show today and our guests felt it was wonderful,” he added.
Approximately 1, 900 passengers were on board the Marella Discovery II.
Among the areas they visited were Emancipation Park, Devon House, National Heroes Park, Fort Clarence Beach and Ocho Rios.