Port Royal residents want more from cruise calls
DESPITE ANTICIPATION that the cruise ship terminal in Port Royal, which welcomed its first ship in January 2020, would set afloat economic progress in the historic community, residents say they have been locked out of the benefits, arguing that the tourism project was not designed for their interests.
“The cruise ship ting a fi Port Authority and di Government,” Herbert Dowie, a resident of the community, declared on Friday.
According to the 62-year-old, he witnessed other residents taking part in various training courses with the expectation that they would benefit from tourist visits. However, he said their services are rarely patronised whenever a cruise ship docks at the nearby pier.
“Dem train all people fi mek tings and dem ting deh and dem mek it and it nah sell,” he stated.
On Friday, the Port Authority of Jamaica (PAJ) told The Gleaner that three ships docked in Port Royal before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.
There were two calls in 2021, while there wee 10 in 2022. Last year, there were four cruise visits and there have been two since the start of this year.
While noting that he has experienced only a “few” cruise ship visits since the development of the pier, Adrian Wilson, a coconut vendor, said the sales he receives from tourists are minimal.
“When di visitors come, more time dem carry dem entirely outta di community, so I guess dem nuh introduce dem to sightseeing, Lime Cay and the museum,” he said.
“The small people dem wid dem likkle business entities expect a little spill-off, so when yuh carry di majority to Bob Marley Museum, Hope Gardens, di community people nuh get dat support deh,” he added.
While contending that Port Royal needs better development to retain the tourists who visit, he insists that priority should be given to community members.
Another resident, who works in a restaurant in the community and who requested anonymity, told The Gleaner the pier itself is outfitted with various booths and offerings, eliminating the need for tourists to visit their community.
“Dem carry all the local foods dem up there as well, dem have all kinda booths up there so they don’t need to come in the community,” she said.
DISAPPOINTMENT
Calinton Ferguson moved his fruit business to Port Royal a year ago to take advantage of the cruise visits. He has also been left disappointed.
“The person who recommended that I come here said tourists always come over here. [I] think about one time mi have an encounter with some white people,” he said.
But bar owner Andrea Taylor shares a different view than her community members. She said that the bar she operates, which is located at the entrance to the community, is often visited by the tourists who arrive on the cruise ships, and according to her, it is because of the approach to her business.
“Dem not putting no effort. When it just start, wi tell dem give it a little time fi tings. But you know Jamaican people, dem just wah think seh it’s today; dem nah look and seh start from now, build, and it a go happen, ”she said. “Everybody just wah yap and just wah see tings happen right away. Business you affi fi build, you affi fi see di potential.”
The 52-year-old shared that she also took part in the training opportunities offered by the tourism ministry and PAJ to improve her skill sets and hone her customer service skills.
Declaring that the tourism product of Port Royal has a lot of potential, Taylor explained that this will be realised if community members work together with the various agencies.
“If dem really do weh dem seh dem a do, I can see it like Little Ochie … . Dem wi buy inna di community. Dem need fi build some Airbnb, too, ‘cause memba seh airport deh nearby, Harbour View shopping centre deh nearby, doctors, wi have the beach, wi have likkle island,” she said.
Meanwhile, Joy Roberts, executive director of Jamaica Vacation, the agency in the Ministry of Tourism responsible for airlifts and cruises, told The Gleaner that residents of Port Royal were trained in areas such as art and craft and subsequently invited on to the port whenever a ship docks.
“If eight people were trained, they would take four on, but the arrangement they had is that the people who come on sell for the other folks. That’s a good arrangement that is not in place at other ports, … so nobody really gets to lose out there,” she said.
Additionally, she shared that rickshaws were provided by the PAJ to take tourists around the community, and noted that the cruise ships that docked at the pier have had almost 100 per cent disembarkation.