However, cruise travel is expected to pick up for the remainder of the year into 2023

Durrant Pate/Contributor

While Jamaica is seeing a faster than expected recovery in its tourism sector, its cruise shipping sub-sector has been exhibiting a lag in its recovery.

Data gathered by Our Today shows that cruise arrivals, which accounted for 39.4 per cent of total arrivals between January to June in 2019, is still 68.3 per cent below its pre-pandemic level.

There have been 286,000 cruise arrivals since the start of the year to June, relative to none last year. The easing of COVID-19 related cruise travel restrictions and gradual lifting of vaccination requirements have supported the resumption of cruise travel.

However, the sector is facing a much slower recovery relative to stopover travel. Cruise travel involves more densely congregated settings, which can allow viruses to spread easily among travelers on board.

As such, the more general removal of restrictions and vaccination requirements have been slower than at hotels, which, along with some cruise traveler reticence, is causing the slower rebound in the cruise industry.

Cruise travel to improve

However, tourism officials are predicting that cruise travel is expected to pick up for the remainder of the year into 2023, as cruise lines started the 2023 wave season early by dropping almost all of their COVID vaccination requirements. Since the removal, there has already been a surge in bookings.

Further, there has been the addition of travel insurance, which allows travelers to cancel their cruise for any reason another outbreak, bad weather, not feeling well and benefit from anywhere between 50 per cent and 75 per cent of their non-refundable prepaid expenses back. This can be especially attractive to travelers concerned about changing COVID requirements for cruises and those who might be worried about infection rates for COVID and other illnesses at international ports of call.

Additionally, new laws have been created that may protect travelers, as cruise lines in some areas are required to provide refunds for canceled or delayed voyages. These factors should aid in the rebound in the industry.

Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett is expecting the number of cruise visitors to Jamaica to reach 1.6 million by the end of 2023, which would put the country back at its pre-COVID level. With the cruise industry anticipated to reach 2019 levels by 2023, the local tourism industry is also expected to return to its pre-pandemic level.

However, there are risks to the 2023 outlook from developments in the external environment. Stop-over arrivals are forecasted to reach pre-pandemic numbers by end 2022, and earnings should surpass the 2019 amount.

Targeting three million cruise ship visitors by 2025

Additionally, in a bid to boost cruise ship arrivals, Jamaica will be targeting three million cruise ship visitors by 2025. Although total arrivals, especially cruise passengers, remains below the pandemic level year to date (stop-over: -15.8%; cruise: -68.3%), the improvement in spending reflects an increase in average spend per visitor and longer average stay in.