This article was first published in the Autumn/Winter 2015 issue of International Cruise & Ferry Review.
A record number of Cruise passenger visited the island of Jamaica in 2014, and with another record year project in 2015, the positive trends are continuing.
Numbers peaked at 1.4 million visitors last year, and according to William Tatham of the Port Authority of Jamaica, that number could reach 1.5 million this year.
The good feeling has been furthered by the Port Authority of Jamaica becoming a member of the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), the official trade organisation of the cruise industry of North America.
“CLIA has become a global entity now, and this presents a great opportunity,” says Tatham. “Our thinking is that an opportunity lies in being able to work with CLIA and being able to reach travel agents in all the major markets.”
With more passengers to serve than ever before and opportunities for further growth on the horizon, what steps are being taken by the Port Authority of Jamaica to ensure the island progresses as a cruise destination?
Tatham says the authority is currently focused on improvement projects at three major destinations: Ocho Rios, Falmouth and Montego Bay.
At Ocho Rios, the first stage of a three-part project is now complete, which saw upgrades to the main cruise terminal and the introduction of a walking promenade into the town. The second phase will get underway in September 2015 and should be completed by March 2016.
“The second phase is an upgrade and repairs programme for Main Street in Ocho Rios,” Tatham says. “This will see a partial pedestrianisation of Main Street. We faced some flooding issues that had to be addressed ahead of this part of the project, but the pedestrianisation will encourage visitors to walk in and around the town in what will be a much cleaner and nicer environment.”
Another major project at Ocho Rios is a proposed second multipurpose pier.
“We’ve done the conceptuals, we’ve done the engineering, and we are now looking to get designs done,” confirms Tatham. “We anticipate it’s going to take about four months before construction begins in the fall and we’re looking at completion before the end of 2016.”
An upgrade project is also underway at Falmouth, with improvements already having been made to the Harbour Lane area of the town, and work in three more areas – specifically Falmouth Street, Market Street and Tharpe Street – is set to be completed by March 2016.
At Montego Bay, plans go a step further.
“We have been pursuing a strategy which really seems to be coming together, and that is to start homeporting out of Montego Bay,” Tatham reveals. “We’ve always done a bit of homeporting in Jamaica, but it’s a business we felt Montego Bay held a lot of potential for.”
The Thomson Dream began homeporting at Montego Bay for the 2014-2015 winter season, and is one of three ships now homeporting at the port on the island’s northern coast – the other two being the Celestyal Crystal and the AIDAbella.
Following discussions with existing homeport operators in Jamaica, as well as newly interested parties, 2015-2016 looks set to be Jamaica’s biggest homeport season, with six ships from five different companies now turning around on the island.
“We’ll be doing the turnaround operations for AIDA, one for Thomson, one for Celestyal and a partial turnaround of MSC Opera,” Tatham says.
One major reason for optimism in the Caribbean cruise industry at the moment is what Tatham refers to as the ‘Cuba phenomenon’. Tatham believes the building momentum in Cuba’s cruise industry is a distinct opportunity for Jamaica, and Montego Bay’s northerly location – on the coastline closest to Cuba – makes it a natural location for development.
“Celestyal Cruises and MSC have both announced they’ll be running cruises to Cuba, and this is something we feel very strongly about,” he says. “Because of this we’re moving very quickly to do an upgrade and expansion of our terminal buildings at Montego Bay.”
The Port Authority of Jamaica took the opportunity to visit successful ports in Majorca and Germany to see how they have adapted their facilities for homeporting purposes.
In light of this, the main terminal at Montego Bay will be gutted later this year, with a series of improvements and upgrades set to be made. Terminal two at Montego Bay will also undergo upgrades ahead of the upcoming season.
Furthermore, the tourism industry in Montego Bay is receiving some timely support from the Jamaican government, with the reintroduction of the railways.
There’s little doubt that the cruise industry in Jamaica is moving in a wholly positive direction, and Tatham is confident that with the ongoing projects on the island, the future looks bright.
“We’re doing a lot of work but we’re very excited and very optimistic,” he concludes. “We feel very positive about the direction we are going in and what is taking place both in Jamaica and the rest of the Caribbean as well.”