Jamaican tourism minister Dr Wykeham McNeill has again called for an end to the harassment of cruise visitors, which he says is hurting small businesses.
Dr McNeill says cruise passengers are staying aboard due to the perception of harassment ashore at Falmouth and Ocho Rios.
"When you talk to visitors, they say when they walk out they feel harassed. What does harassment do? It stops the 1,000 people that would come off the cruise ship from doing so. It stops the benefits," he said.
Dr McNeill acknowledges a small minority are responsible but it has a huge impact on the tourism industry.
"The big businesses can organise the buses and move them in an organized fashion, but for the person walking off the ship, we have got to deal with that," the minister said, adding that the aim is to ensure economic benefits of more shore visits trickle down to local businesses.
