Cruising on choppy seas: the revitalization of Jamaica as a cruise destination post COVID-19

Abstract

PurposeThis article focuses on critical areas that must be adjusted and adopted in the post-Covid era. It explores strategies that are needed for the post-Covid period in cruise tourism in the Caribbean with special reference to endemic gaps in the sustainable development of cruising in Jamaica which resulted in the pre-pandemic status quo. The article aims to recommend ways of creating a road map for greater sustainability for cruise tourism in the Caribbean, the most tourism-dependent region of the world.Design/methodology/approachThe main approach is via the frame of sustainable development pillars. The methodology involved interviews with tourism and cruise industry executives and content analysis of company documents of the Jamaica Tourist Board. Additional primary data were collected from a large cruise line serving the Caribbean market. This exercise was primarily to derive insights on their customer satisfaction data. Primary data were also collected on Covid testing by Baywest Medical in Montego Bay Jamaica.FindingsIt is clear from the data that the cruise industry in Jamaica has not maximized its potential. This is largely due to the posture of large private cruise lines, which have negotiated solely in favour of their bottom line. It was also found that Jamaica has suffered from its own slow approach to the diversification of its ports and surrounding communities. Additionally, another major finding revealed that the matter of visitors has been inadequately addressed; despite cruise line data indicating a need for safer, more seamless spaces. The major strength identified is the creation of “resilient corridors” in Jamaica, which have worked well in support of the return of stopover arrivals since 2021. In fact, reported Covid cases related to the corridor have a positivity rate of less than 1% while the national figure is 9.9% for the month of July 2021, according to the Ministry of Health and Wellness.Research limitations/implicationsThis article highlights gaps in the current construct of Caribbean cruising and plots a path to bridging those gaps. The major limitation is that it focuses on the case of Jamaica. Future research should consider other islands in the region and seek to gather data directly from guests when the industry reopens, as opposed to the current approach of guest comments through cruise line documents.Practical implicationsThe practical implications are that policy-makers will be able to apply the recommendations for creating a partnership of equals, greater port and product diversification, visitor safety improvement and optimizing the resilient corridors. This will have a significant economic impact arising from greater flows of guests and extended time spent on shore.Social implicationsThe absence of cruising has had a major impact on the socioeconomics of communities in closeness, proximity to cruising, as evidenced in craft markets and ground transportation. These groupings are considered to be particularly vulnerable.Originality/valueThis paper is the first to excavate the specific hurdles, which must be tackled in the post-Covid era in Jamaica. It is of particular value to local policy-makers, local businesses and cruise lines serving the Caribbean region.