Tourism and Entertainment Minister, Hon. Dr. Wykeham McNeill, has welcomed news of the maiden port call to Jamaica by Disney Cruise Lines in 2013.

Speaking at a Jamaica Information Service (JIS) Think Tank at the agency’s Half-Way-Tree Road head office on Wednesday (December 12), Dr. McNeill, who informed that the announcement was made recently by the Port Authority of Jamaica, described the development as a boost for Jamaica’s tourism product.

“Disney is very discerning about the destinations that it goes to, and its endorsement of Jamaica is a tremendous fillip for our tourism product; not just cruise shipping, but to Jamaica, as a whole, because it speaks to our brand and it speaks to us as a destination. That indication by Disney is a tremendous positive for Jamaica,” the Minister said.

He commended the Port Authority for the pivotal role, which he said, the agency played in negotiating the arrangement.

Information posted on websites affiliated with Disney Cruise Lines indicates that the voyage to Jamaica forms part of a new series of seven-night Western Caribbean cruises, which the entity’s vessels will make in 2013.

The itinerary will see the passengers making voyages from the port of Galveston, Texas in the United States, with scheduled stops at Falmouth, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel, Mexico.