Ocho Rios Welcomes New Cruise Ship Ventura

The cruise-ship season in Jamaica could not have got a better start. Ocho Rios, the cruise capital of Jamaica, welcomed to its shores the new cruise ship, Ventura, operated by the Britain-based company P&O Cruises. The ship made the first of five calls for the cruise-ship season last Thursday.

Ventura has a capacity of 3,400 and a crew of 1,100. According to the cruise director Leon De Sainte Croix, Ocho Rios features strategically in all its future itineraries. The welcoming ceremony, which took place aboard the ship, was attended by many well-known personalities including president of the St Ann Chamber of Commerce and Claudia Strudwick of JTB, among others.

Jamaica enjoys a strong link with Britain, and given the fact that the island has lots to offer in terms of attractions, activities and of course, the beaches, the country is looking for an increased influx of tourists when the cruise ship comes calling.

Jamaica continues to invest in its tourism infrastructure and improve its tourism products. While Ocho Rios remains the unrivalled destination of cruise ships in the Caribbean, it is getting ready to face stiff competition from the new pier at Falmouth that will become operational in January.

Tour operators and vacation rental communities like, Turtle Beach Towers apartments, are alive to the new business opportunities this will offer and are geared up to welcome the guests with more offerings and even better services.

Chukka Caribbean Adventures, the award-winning tour operator, has invested heavily in Good Hope, one of the greatest historic attractions on the island, to woo the visitors.