Jamaica’s tourism capital of Montego Bay, on Wednesday (December 1), welcomed back its first cruise vessel in about twenty months.
The Carnival Glory dropped anchor at about 10:30am much to the delight of a number of stakeholders. Reports indicate that there were two thousand five hundred and fifty three (2553) passengers were on board when it docked, with many opting to disembark for approved tours and excursions along the North Coast.
Jamaica’s tourism Minister, Edmund Bartlett could not hide his joy as Montego Bay becomes the final port to resume cruise tourism in the country. Minister Bartlett is quoted as saying in a statement that he was delighted to welcome the return of cruise back to the Montego Bay as it stands to benefit a lot of people” he remarked in a statement.
“I am certain this will be a welcome move for our stakeholders, especially our small and medium tourism enterprises, which can earn significantly from cruise passengers. We certainly are looking forward to welcoming even more Carnival passengers to our shores, assuring them that they will have both a memorable and a safe experience, instilling confidence in travellers,” he continued.
This return follows on Jamaica’s other cruise ports welcoming the return of ships in recent times with Falmouth, Ocho Rios and Port Royal already seeing ships coming into port. The Port Authority of Jamaica (PAJ) has disclosed that some fifty cruise ships are expected to visit five ports in the island in the months of November and December 2021 as the recovery in the local sector continues.