Jamaica Reopens All Four Major Cruise Ports

• Jamaica's cruise industry is back on track after the country recently celebrated the official reopening of all four major ports, namely, Port Royal/Kingston, Ocho Rios, Montego Bay and Falmouth, following the passage of Hurricane Melissa. The reopening sends the message "Jamaica is open, Jamaica is ready, and Jamaica is back in business."
• The rapid restoration and reopening of the cruise gateways was attributed to efforts made by the Ministry of Tourism as well as Jamaica Vacations (JAMVAC), Jamaica Cruising, the Port Authority of Jamaica (PAJ), the Destination Assurance Councils (DACs), municipal corporations, emergency teams and dozens of supporting partners.
• Jamaica also celebrated a historic milestone this week with the arrival of Vasco da Gama, which is the first homeporting vessel in Port Royal/Kingston. "Homeporting is directly tied to higher economic impact," said Jamaica Cruising.
• For Jamaica, this implies the possibility of significant increases in passenger and crew spending, more airlift into and out of the destination, a surge in demand for hotels, transportation, restaurants and tour operators. This will also lead to greater business for essential services, such as bunkering, provisioning, freshwater supply, waste and sludge removal, and increased opportunities for pre- and post-cruise vacation stays, thus enhancing the overall visitor economy.
• "For January to August 2025, cruise passenger arrivals declined by 5.3% to 840.17k. In October, Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett projected that the industry would welcome 1.34 million cruise passengers for the year, representing a 7% increase over last year. However, despite this projection, the industry could underperform due to the impact of Hurricane Melissa.

(Sources: Travel Pulse, Seatrade Cruise News)