Nagra Plunkett, Assignment Coordinator

Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett. - File

WESTERN BUREAU:

The government is said to be fine-tuning plans for the construction of a cruise ship port between Green Island, Hanover, and the tourist resort area of Negril in Westmoreland.

"One of the areas we are looking at is to expand the number of ports in Jamaica where we will be having cruise visits in the future," announced Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett. "We are looking at Negril as one of the areas to be developed."

The tourism minister was speaking at Sunday's official opening of the multimillion-dollar Kool Runnings Water Park in Negril, which he said offers a new dimension to attraction development.

Investor ready

Minister Bartlett also disclosed that an investor had already communicated an interest to invest in the cruise sub-sector. Details, he said, would be available in time for his 2008 budget presentation.

"Attractions for us is the way forward to lift not only the out-turn in tourism arrivals to achieve our goal of five million visitors by 2015, but also to increase the per-capita spent from the measly US$100 per head to a minimum of US$150 and beyond in a shorter period than 2015," he said.

"We are going to look at how we can give further encouragement to Jamaicans to invest in signature attractions that bring marquee value to the product, attractions that by themselves bring people to Jamaica."

Work on the redevelopment of the port in Falmouth, Trelawny, is to begin next February, in time for the arrival of the new mega cruise liner, Freedom of the Seas, which is due to arrive in 2009.

The other ports of call are Montego Bay, St. James; Ocho Rios, St. Ann; and Port Antonio, Portland.

Increased arrivals critical

According to the tourism minister, increased visitor arrivals were critical to the sustainability of attractions like Kool Runnings, and to make a business of the island's fledgling accommodation subsector.

He added that the Jamaica Attractions Development Company would be revived to drive the diversification of the tourism product.

Wayne Cummings, president of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association, commended Dr. Garfield Munroe and his wife, Margaret, for the concept of the water park.

"Attraction is the linkage in which we are going to see phenomenal growth and the sector that will fill the additional rooms being built," he said.

nagra.plunkett@gleanerjm.com