Jamaica’s Falmouth Cruise Port Nears Building Construction Phase

The Jamaican cruise port at Falmouth, currently under construction through a partnership between the Port Authority of Jamaica and Royal Caribbean International, is nearing completion of its marine construction phase, including dredging of the sea floor, and will begin the building construction phase shortly, said John Tercek, Royals Caribbean’s vice president of commercial development.

Planned as the first-ever thematic Jamaican cruise port featuring a focus on historic Falmouth, the 32-acre, two-berth port is expected to help reverse Jamaica’s recent cruise traffic decline.

Speaking at the Jamaica Hotel & Tourist Association’s 49th Annual General Meeting, JHTA President Wayne Cummings said Jamaica’s cruise visitor numbers fell 16 percent in 2009, making last year the worst ever in terms of cruise arrivals. The completed port will expand Jamaica’s cruise capacity from four large ships per day to six, including two each in the existing ports of Ocho Rios and Montego Bay.

The new port will be positioned to offer cruise guests shore excursions in both Ocho Rios and Montego Bay, and when completed the port will offer restaurants, cafes, boutique shops, craft markets, offices and residences, plus attractions focused on Falmouth’s historic waterfront district, a National Heritage site with Georgian-era buildings dating from the 1760s to 1840.