Jamaica Saw a Slight Decline in Cruise Passenger Arrivals — But There are Positive Signs
Jamaica saw a slight decline in cruise arrivals in 2024, according to newly-released data from the Caribbean Tourism Organization.
But that’s not the full story.
Cruise passenger visits to the island saw a 1 percent decline last year, with a total of 1,253,297 overall arrivals, according to the Barbados-based organization’s annual tourism performance report for the region.
Jamaican was one of just a handful of Caribbean destinations that saw year-over-year cruise reductions, according to the report.
The island’s performance came as the region’s overall cruise performance continued to shine, with nearly 44 million cruise visits across the Caribbean.
That was a 10.3 percent regional increase over the previous year, and a 10.9 percent improvement over the pre-pandemic levels of 2019. By comparison, the Caribbean reported 30.55 million cruise arrivals in 2023.
So what’s ahead for Caribbean cruises in 2025? Initial projections are forecasting 5 to 7 percent growth for the year, or a total of 36 million cruise visitors.
But if you dig into the numbers, there are actually positive signs for the island’s cruise industry.
Several cruise lines canceled their stops to Jamaica last summer during the passage of Hurricane Beryl and its aftermath. That could led to an even bigger decline, with tens of thousands of potential cruise visits the island stymied.
That Jamaica only declined by 1 percent given Beryl’s disruption meant the island likely saw a strong post-storm recovery.
In other words, without the Beryl disruption, Jamaica would have likely seen a positive number for 2024 — and the momentum it generated in the late summer likely could carry over into 2025.
If regional trends hold, Jamaica could see a stronger cruise showing this year.
So what are the major players in Jamaica’s cruise sector? Royal Caribbean (and its Falmouth port), MSC, which is also making a big push with its World America ship, Carnival Cruise Line Norwegian, along with cruise brands like Disney, Princess and Celebrity.
Falmouth remains the major port for Jamaica cruises, along with Montego Bay and Ocho Rios.
