WESTERN BUREAU — William Tatham, the vice-president of cruise shipping and marina operations at the Port Authority of Jamaica, said next year will be a good one for the local cruise shipping industry.

“The year 2003 will be our best year ever, we are anticipating about 1.2 million passengers to Jamaica which will be by far the largest amount of cruise passengers we have ever brought here,” Tatham said.

He was speaking to reporters aboard the Carnival Conquest mega liner during its inaugural visit to Montego Bay on Wednesday.

Last year 870,000 cruise ship passengers visited the island and the figure is expected to increase to about one million this year.

It is estimated, Tatham said, that the country will earn between US$80 and US$100 million in revenue from that sector by year-end and US$110 million next year.

According to Tatham, a number of other cruise liners would be making calls in Ocho Rios, Montego Bay and Port Antonio by the beginning of 2003.

These include the Navigator of the Seas, Caribe, Mistral and Arosa Blue.

“We are also in discussions with a number of other cruise liners for more vessels to come late next year,” he added.

According to the cruise industry official, the upturn in the island’s cruise shipping industry is being attributed to a number of initiatives taken by the tourism sector recently.

“The cruise industry feels that we (Jamaica) have taken measures to address their concerns. We have put in place the necessary amenities, improved our attractions and entertainment packages. We have also interacted with the cruise liners in an effort to find out what they would like us to offer,” added Tatham.

The cruise shipping executive said Wednesday’s inaugural visit of the Carnival Conquest to Jamaica demonstrates that “we are doing the right thing and we are on the right track”.

The ship, which has a 3,700-passenger capacity, will now call at the Montego Bay port every Wednesday.

It replaces the Inspiration, which has a capacity for almost 2,000 passengers.

On Wednesday at a brief ceremony to mark the inaugural visit, ship captain Salvatore Rassello said he was very pleased to visit the island.

“We are happy to be here and we are looking to come here for a very long time,” he told the audience which mainly consisted of players in the cruise shipping industry.