Some tourism stakeholders say Jamaica’s cruise shipping industry is being sabotaged by indecisiveness and an unwillingness by the Ministry of Health and Wellness to move in line with what is happening in other Caribbean islands.

They (stakeholders which include craft traders, transport operators, souvenir shop owners and duty-free merchants) said Jamaica is falling behind by way of cruise arrivals because of the insistence by the Health and Wellness Ministry to hold on to stringent and “outdated” protocols.

“While the rest of the Caribbean, including Mexico, have been moving towards a post-pandemic stage in regard to cruise shipping, our Ministry of Health has remained stubbornly steadfast as it relates to dealing with the cruise lines,” said an irate Robert Brown, transport operator and Falmouth native.

“Those of us in the cruise business have been suffering for the past two years. We know what challenges feel like…unable to pay our bills… our mortgage and basically putting food on the table.”

Brown, who once had a fleet of buses but said he is now down to two, added that “it pains me to see” Caribbean islands such as Aruba, St Maarten, St Kitts, Virgin Islands getting four or five ships per day, and we are struggling to get that number in all our ports combined in a week. Very soon we are going to have to ask whether our chief medical officer understands the term “balancing lives with livelihoods.”

Richard Green, owner of M&M Diving, with franchises in Ocho Rios, Falmouth and Montego Bay, agreed.

“There seems be a huge disconnect between our Ministry of Health and Wellness and the cruise lines,” he said.

“We have not budged or relaxed our guidelines since cruise ships started coming back last August while the other Caribbean Islands have been doing just that.

“Look at Mexico. They are welcoming the ships with open arms as opposed to us who are doing everything to turn them away. Look at what happened in Falmouth the other day with the Celebrity. Can you imagine that we are turning back ships?”

Mildred McCalla, a senior executive of the Ocho Rios Craft Market, St Ann, said it was worth noting that Carnival Cruise Line has ditched its bubble tours where unvaccinated guests can now partake in their shoreline excursions.

“That is very good news as that could mean more business for the craft markets,” she noted.

“It’s very important that we move with the times while continuing to practice health and safety.”

In the meantime, a group of other stakeholders met in Ocho Rios, St Ann last week to discuss plans to move the cruise sector forward and to ensure that more Jamaicans are given an opportunity to be a part of the industry.

“We got together to look at ways to maximise the benefits of tourism and how we can collaborate to make tourism more inclusive, as well as ways to improve the guest experience by working together the same way we did throughout the pandemic, in a collaborative approach, and with all the industry players and government working as one,” Chairman of the Island’s Resilient Corridors Committee John Byles explained.

The meeting, held at the Taj Mahal Plaza, also included Kumar Sujanani of Gem Palace, Sanju Chatani of Taj Mahal, Ravi Daswani of Royal Shop, along with Joy Roberts, executive director, Jamaica Vacations Limited (JamVac).

Sujanani said there was a perception that cruise passengers were being prevented from walking the streets of Ocho Rios and supporting a wide cross section of businesses in the town, rather than just “a few pre-selected destinations”.

He added that in-bond stores, gift shops, taxi drivers, and craft traders were among those who have been complaining that the return of cruise ships to Ocho Rios is benefiting just a select few.

Byles, in the meantime, insisted that the Resilient Corridors concept was working at curtailing the spread of the virus but suggested that visitors want to feel the freedom of really enjoying Jamaica rather than be limited by the organised tour structure.

“The consensus is that we fully support the prime minister’s position at this time that the science can no longer be treated in a vacuum and that the economic and social well-being of our citizens must be put forward and we need to find the way to go forward, still in a scientifically informed, responsible manner,” Byles added.

“I think we all need to support this common vision that I believe tourism has. I think, what has come out now, I think we as a group need to commit to the support of the programme and we want to do our part in driving it now, much further than it was before. We can all do better by coming together.”