Politics of the Port

Zoey Weinstein
Dr. Lee and Dr. Q
Falmouth Field School 2018
22 January 2018
Politics of the Port
The Historic Falmouth Cruise Port was built in 2011. It is completely separated from the town of Falmouth, by a huge gate and the port itself is made from artificial landfill. When you enter and exit the port, it's almost like you've left the city because the port is so much more commercialized than the city itself, with many American chain restaurants and chain souvenir shops. The goal of the port bringing more cruise ships to the island, which ultimately means more tourists, which means more money. The port is Located in Falmouth, between two other popular ports, Ocho Rios and Montego Bay. The port is in a perfect location that can accommodate gigantic cruise ships, but is also right outside of Falmouth Historic District. There are so many places to buy T-shirts, jewelry and other souvenirs. This seems like a flawless system for tourists to visit and enjoy Falmouth, but does the port live up to what it was promised to be?
Royal Caribbean cruises and Jamaica’s Port Royal Authority originally said that the port was a place for tourists to have "a wraparound experience not unlike Colonial Williamsburg, but one that is infused with the signature warmth of the Jamaican people." The locals were told that the tourists coming off of the ships would spend at least $100 on the island, but since the ships have been arriving, the locals have been extremely disappointed because the numbers they were receiving were drastically less than what they were told. (Cleveland.com)
According to various trade groups, the cruise ship industry puts $2 billion (USD) per year into the economies of the Caribbean. The catch is that produces relatively little income for the locals because a majority of the tourists spend their money on the overpriced amenities on the ship or on the chain stores and souvenir shops on the port, not in the town itself. (Cleveland.com)
Due to the previous information being from 2012, one would assume a solution would have been found for these issues, but here we are in 2018, and according to Cayman News Service Jamaica Gleaner, and Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines (RCCL) “have decided to take their businesses elsewhere for the coming season and next year,” in order to avoid Falmouth, regardless of the fact that RCCL took a major role in building the port. However, Jamaica’s Port Authority has stated that The Allure of the Seas will return to Falmouth towards the end of 2018. The mayor  of Falmouth, Colin Gager stated that  “the pullout of the three vessels, which together bring in about 10,000 visitors per call to the port, will result in losses of about $5 million (Jamaican dollars) monthly,” which is a huge decline that Falmouth cannot afford to experience in its current economic state. Gager says that  “the cruise lines are concerned about visitor harassment, among other issues.” He  does admit “that visitor harassment has been an  ongoing problem, with the conduct of tour bus operators and craft vendors leaving much to be desired.”
There  have been  other theories on why the ships have been pulled from visiting Falmouth, including Jim Walker’s Cruise Law News, who suggests that based on recent protests in Jamaica regarding the plans that want to continue to dredge the harbor to eventually be able to fit two ships, ultimately destroying the environment there. So is this the reason Royal Caribbean is  pulling their ships,to revolt against the damaging plans? This issue is very controversial and extremely concerning for the people of Falmouth because tourism counts for 15% of the island’s GDP (JIS)
When we went into Falmouth to get interviews for the oral history project, we got many different opinions on  how people felt about the port. A lot of the people we interviewed said that they really liked the port and they thought it brought a lot of tourists to a place in Jamaica where people didn't always visit because people always visited Kingston, Negril and Montego Bay. Many people also said that it brought good business to the stores, restaurants and vendors in Falmouth. Other people we interviewed said that the port did not turn out the way that the locals were told it would be. One person said that the cruise ship said not to leave the port because they would be leaving “at their own risk.” One of  the most popular negative opinions we got was that the Jamaicans obeyed the advice from the cruise ship, stayed in the port, so they ended up eating at chain restaurants and shopping at chain souvenir shops, so the locals aren't making the money they need to sustain a living.


Works Cited
Cruise CriticStaff. “Home.” Terminal: Information for Port of Falmouth - Cruise Critic,
Staff, Associated Press business. “Caribbean Cruises Leave Wave of Bitter Merchants.”
Cayman News. “Three Cruise Ships Switch from Falmouth, Jamaica.” CNS Business, 10 July 2017,
“The World Factbook.” Central Intelligence Agency, Central Intelligence Agency,


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