Kingston Being Considered for Cruise-Ship Calls Over the Next Three Years

The cruise ship ‘Monarch’, which is operated by Royal Caribbean, is considering Kingston as one of its ports of call on its itinerary for the next three years.

Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, made the disclosure on December 6, as he welcomed the arrival of the largest ever cruise ship to Kingston.

Addressing the audience at a function, held at the Port of Kingston, Mr. Bartlett said the visit of the cruise ship is exciting for Jamaica.

“That is exciting for us because we have always felt that destination Kingston has a particular allurement, charm and a value of its own that is impatient of recognition,” Mr. Bartlett said.

The cruise ship had on board some 2,700 passengers. During the port call, more than 400 of the visitors were taken to Dunn’s River Falls, in Ocho Rios, St. Ann and more than 1,000 shuttled to locations such as Port Royal, Devon House, the Bob Marley Museum, the National Gallery of Jamaica, Emancipation Park and the Craft Market.

Meanwhile, Mr. Bartlett said safety, security and seamlessness will play a key role in Jamaica’s thrust in becoming the number-one cruise destination in the Caribbean.

“To expand and grow the cruise-shipping business in Jamaica, those three are going to be central to our operation. We know that this is the richest and most lucrative area (the Caribbean) for cruise in the world,” Mr. Bartlett said.

“Jamaica has not had its full share of this and we are determined in this round to get our share of it. The fact is we are now trending in a manner that suggests we are going to overtake The Bahamas in short order,” he added.