Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett says 2018 is poised to be another excellent year for Jamaica’s cruise ship sector, with vessels from the world’s largest cruise companies expected to call at the island’s main ports. Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian cruise lines have all committed to having some of their biggest ships calling at Falmouth, Ocho Rios and Montego Bay, solidifying Jamaica as a first-choice cruise destination.

A total of 1.92 million cruise passengers visited the island last year, up 11 per cent from 1.65 million in 2016. In addition, spending per visitor increased to US$91.67, from US$90.24. “We did very well in 2017, and there’s every reason to believe that 2018 will be another banner year for the cruise-shipping sector,” Bartlett said in a recent interview with JIS News.

“When you look at Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian, you are looking at the companies that control close to 80 per cent of the cruise market space,” he pointed out. Bartlett said that Jamaica has all the ingredients to dominate the global cruise-shipping market and should do very well throughout the season.(JAMAICA OBSERVER)…[+]