Jamaica News, February 17, 2018
Montego Bay, Jamaica (McKoy’s News) – Montego Bay Craft Market: Craft vendors and shop operators at the Harbor Street and Old Fort Craft markets in downtown Montego Bay are now lashing out at the larger craft shops and inbound shop operators who are allegedly paying out commissions to tour bus operators in order for them to shuttle tourist directly from the ship to their business establishments.
The craft vendor say on a given cruise ship arrival day, there are little, or no visitor at all coming into the craft markets and this is a result of these larger operators paying out commissions to the Tour operators, who in turn, pick up the visitors from the Cruise Pier and shuttle them directly to their shops along Gloucester Avenue.
Mikoyan Robinson, manager of the Harbor Street Craft Market told the Mckoy’s News team that he is aware of this problem and it is creating a negative impact on both craft markets over the past years.
Montego Bay Craft Market: according to Mr Robinson, this matter is hampering the tourist flow at the Montego Bay Craft Markets because, with the increase in the tourist traffic to their establishments, these business operators are now equipped with the funding to afford to pay out commissions to these tour operators or freelance tour drivers.
Robinson mentioned that the management of the Craft Market has now come up with a solution which they called the Dry Run and this is Slated for February 28, 2018. On this day, tour operators specifically trained by the craft market management team will be shuttling visitors from the Cruise shipping Pier to all the known tourist attractions and sites within the inner city and then back to the craft market compound where they can shop comfortably and will be treated with Jamaican food and entertainment.
