Local tourism companies in the UK's Cayman Islands say the return of cruise shipping in 2022 could be a major boost for Jamaica's industry as well.
The stakeholders, including attractions owners, craft traders, duty-free merchants, and transport operators, said there was a good reason for optimism.
In a meeting among cruise company executives, the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association and the Cayman Islands officials revealed the return of ships to Grand Cayman Island was "at the top of the agenda."
According to Ravi Daswani (Senior Director of the Royal Shop chain/duty-free stores), the meeting on February 2nd between cruise officials and the Cayman Government, had been "an important prelude of a possible breakthrough, bringing cruise ships back to the Caymans for the first time in nearly two years."
Marc Melville (CEO of the Jamaica-based Chukka Caribbean Adventures) said that a return of ships to the Caymans could conceivably see the return of the Royal Caribbean Oasis-class liners (world's largest passenger ships) to Jamaica.
For Delano Seiveright (Chief Strategist/Senior Advisor in Jamaica's Ministry of Tourism), there were sufficient reasons to believe that Jamaica would see more ships in case the Cayman situation got cleared up.
Jamaica's largest cruise ports (by annual passenger traffic) are Ocho Rios, Montego Bay, and Falmouth.