66 cruise ships to call at ports in December

A total of 66 cruise ships are scheduled to call at ports across Jamaica in December.

Of the total, 25 are scheduled for the resort town of Ocho Rios in St Ann, with 19 for Montego Bay, St James, 18 for Falmouth in Trelawny and four for Port Antonio in Portland.

Tourism Minister, Edmund Bartlett, told JIS News that the figure, while less than the 75 port calls for December 2018, is expected to rise as the season gathers momentum.

“The numbers that are coming out of Ocho Rios are very encouraging and we are expecting to see more of that as we get into the heart of the cruise shipping season…from December to April,” he said.

“Jamaica has the most diverse tourism product in the entire region…the most natural attractions…and some of the biggest and best cruise ports. I really expect a cruise shipping explosion over the next few years where all our ports of call will be well represented,” he added.

Bartlett added that cruise lines officials are well aware of the quality that Jamaica brings to the table and as such “they continue to send their biggest and newest ships to our ports year in and year out.”

“This is why it is with a renewed sense of optimism that we are looking forward to the next couple of seasons where we will be seeing numbers out of the ordinary for cruise shipping,” he added.

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