Jamaica affirms its strategy of combining living heritage and maritime excellence
At Seatrade Cruise Global 2025 in Miami, Jamaica presented a strong vision: to combine the richness of its cultural heritage with the ambition to strengthen its attractiveness in the cruise industry.
With presentations by Carol Rose Brown and Mark Hylton, Jamaica, an anchor on Caribbean cruise itineraries, asserts its determination to anchor its tourism development in authenticity, innovation and resilience.
Preserving Jamaica's cultural soul - Carol Rose Brown's initiative
For Carol Rose Brown, Director of the Jamaica Centre for Tourism Innovation within the Tourism Enhancement Fund, preserving Jamaican identity is a major challenge in an increasingly standardized tourism world.
At the heart of this approach: the Falmouth Artisan Village.
Designed as a living showcase for traditional skills – ceramics, basketry, leather, sewing, cigars – the village enables visitors to discover, understand and buy directly from local craftsmen.
” We don’t want our culture to be relegated to a mere spectacle: it must be lived, shared, passed on,” insists Carol Rose Brown.
L’Artisan Village also innovates by integrating :
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Immersive technologies (augmented reality, interactive QR codes),
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Free events combining gastronomy, crafts and live entertainment,
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Creative workshops, allowing visitors to actively participate.
🎯 Carol Rose Brown’s ambition: to make every stopover in the island an authentic encounter with the soul of the country, and to extend this cultural model to other sites on the island.
Strengthening cruise competitiveness - The Port Authority's vision
For Mark A. Hylton, Vice President of Cruise Operations at the Port Authority of Jamaica, Island has shown exceptional resilience in the face of recent challenges.
In 2024, despite a major incident that temporarily affected one of the ports, the island maintained a high level of cruise arrivals, thanks to :
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Solid infrastructures,
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Close relations with cruise lines,
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An ability to adapt quickly to new expectations.
The Island is also working on :
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Improve road links to facilitate visitor mobility,
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Develop new attractions around its ports of call,
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Strengthen its position on Western Caribbean itineraries.
” We have to keep innovating to remain competitive, while at the same time promoting what makes Jamaica unique,” stresses Mark Hylton.
🎯 Its aim: to build sustainable growth that benefits both local communities and shipping companies.
Jamaica between heritage and modernity
At Seatrade Cruise Global 2025, the Island demonstrated that cruising can be much more than just transit:
it can become an authentic encounter between travelers and territories.
Buoyed by its lively culture and ability to adapt, the island is charting an ambitious course: to build a strong maritime tourism industry, faithful to its identity and looking to the future.
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