Bartlett buoyed by cruise arrivals
Says more artisan villages on the cards
FALMOUTH, Trelawny — Buoyed by the more than 500,000 cruise passengers who have visited Jamaica since the start of the year, Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett says this bodes well for the soon-to-be-opened artisan village at Falmouth Pier and plans to replicate it in other major resort areas.
“If cruise continues on this trajectory, definitely we will be 4.5 million [visitors] this year and be well in line to meet the five million in 2025,” said the minister, referencing the combination of stop-over arrivals — at 1.1 million so far this year — and cruise passengers.
Bartlett was speaking with the Jamaica Observer in a telephone interview last Wednesday, the same day the long-overdue artisan village at Falmouth had its soft opening.
“We received 500,000 [cruise passengers] in two months. It’s the first time that has ever happened in the history of Jamaica... That’s fantastic! That puts you on track to be back near to 2019 levels,” Bartlett revealed.
About 1.3 million cruise passengers graced the country’s shores in 2019, widely regarded as one of the best years ever in the country’s tourism sector.
Bartlett said the increase seen in the numbers at the Falmouth port this year augurs well for creatives who will operate at the island’s first artisan village, situated at the neighbouring port facility. On Wednesday two ships were in port while tourism stakeholders, mainly members of the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) which funded the artisan village project, did a walk-through of the village.
“Falmouth is now enjoying the glory because Ocho Rios pier was damaged, so almost all the ships are coming to Falmouth and Montego Bay. Therefore, Falmouth is in a good position, and the artisan village, being positioned now, will ensure that benefits will accrue more to the people of Falmouth and surrounding areas. The cruise passengers can now go to have experiences there [the village] rather than to leave to go outside to other parishes,” said Bartlett.
“The artisan village is a game-changer, in terms of having the kind of products, with artisans executing while the visitor is gone to enjoy something elsewhere. And when he comes back he can get a finished product. That’s huge, and that’s how the value added is going to enhance and more of the tourism dollars stays in the local area,” Bartlett added.
He noted that plans are still on the cards for the establishment of artisan villages in other major resort areas.
“The artisan village was conceptualised in 2016, and I wanted to have one in Ocho Rios, Montego Bay, Negril, and Falmouth. We have had issues with availability of land and also in terms of planning arrangements. For example, in Ocho Rios, where we want to put one, [there] was a difficulty because of planning.
“Ocho Rios is not off our map, it is just that we have to work with UDC [Urban Development Corporation] and so on to identify the best place to have it,” the tourism minister said.
“But the idea was having the first one completed so we could see how it works and would encourage us to do the rest and more across Jamaica. Because what you are creating is a venue for marketing and showcasing the finest Jamaican products made by Jamaicans, and the idea is not to have in there items that are made outside of Jamaica,” he added.
According to Dr Carey Wallace, executive director of TEF, last Wednesday’s visit was an orientation for operators at the artisan village.
“I think it was an important step that we had to take to showcase and do a testing of the operations here. As a service offering we won’t get a second chance to make a first impression with the customers. So you have to do a lot of trial and testing before to get the product right.
“Today was a chance to get stakeholders to come here and do some testing, to see the entertainment, to go to some of the shops, to talk to some of the shopkeepers and so on to see the layout. They would get a good idea of what the attraction will be, and so from that standpoint I think it was a success,” Dr Wallace told the Observer on Wednesday.
“We are just looking to further tweaks to get it perfect when we do the opening in a few week’s time,” he added.
Thirty-six of the 48 shops at the artisan village were occupied up to last week, and Bartlett said the facility should be officially opened within a month. In 2019, he had announced that construction of the $700-million project would have been completed by the end of that year. Despite the delay, the cost has remained the same.
As Dr Wallace explained, “We made a strategic decision several years ago that we would focus on delivering on a smaller scope than the original one that was in the MOU [memorandum of understanding] and keep the price the same.”