2001, July 31: Jamaica’s tourism interests are aggressively going after the business of cruise ship home porting, eyeing some 50 cruise ships now being built by cruise lines.

"There's a lot of money in there. It's a different kind of money but it's far reaching. It reaches deeper into the economy because it reaches into the agricultural sector, employment, and technical services," said cruise shipping head, William Tatham, reported in Jamaica’s Sunday Observer newspaper recently.

"… we feel that because of our geographical location, Montego Bay, and Jamaica, offers real potential to be one of the top future home ports of the Caribbean."

While Ocho Rios would not be as feasible a location because of its distance from a major airport and the small size of its terminal, Kingston also has the potential to provide home porting in the future.

"But right now we're focusing on Montego Bay. The Port Authority is already bringing in the experts to look at all the facilities there and see exactly what needs to be done to build a world-class port," Tatham told the Observer.

According to the Jamaican newspaper, while visiting Montego Bay recently, Jamaica’s Transport and Works Minister, Peter Phillips disclosed that he had also been in talks with cruise industry officials in a bid to ensure that any expansion done at the resort city's port would meet their home porting needs.

"We are in discussion with an international firm of architects who have expertise in port development, and who have been selected after consultation with some of the cruise ship operators," Minister Phillips said. "They are to undertake a remodeling of the port facility including the redevelopment and beautification of the surrounding area, and also including recreational and shopping facilities. They are going to be undertaking their first foray into the port in a matter of weeks."