IN-BOND MERCHANTS in the resort towns, facing stiff competition from their island competitors, are forced to shell out huge sums of money for advertising on-board cruise vessels to secure their niche in the market, sector players say.
The merchants note that, even with the presence of the cruise ships, a lack of advertising on-board the vessels could be "the kiss of death for the in-bond sector." They note that it is not beyond the realm of possibility for cruise officials to encourage passengers to spend their money at the destinations "that do business with them."
"The business doesn't always go the way we would have liked but such is the nature of the game," explained Kumar Sujanani, owner of the Gem Palace chain of duty free stores. "It is a fact that we spend good money to advertise on-board the ships...very good money. In this business there is no other way... if we don't, somebody else will. To make money, one has to be prepared to spend money."
COST COULD BE MILLIONS
Though the merchants were reluctant to say exactly how much they pay to advertise on-board the ships each year, some are estimating that the cost could run into millions of U.S. dollars, considering what other islands are paying.
"To secure business for themselves, other countries are paying out millions of U.S. dollars each year on advertising, and we are forced to play catch up," explained a merchant, who did not want to be identified with this story.
"It is not a matter of blowing our own horns but without the money we are spending to advertise, this country would be losing out on millions of dollars in foreign exchange as the business we are now experiencing would cease to exist. A cruise director can tell passengers to shop anywhere and the person who decides not to play ball will be the person that will be left out."
The cruise lines, though acknowledging that on-board advertising is a lucrative part of their operations, have always denied trying to influence the spending patterns of their passengers. According to officials, they do not engage in the practice of promoting one island over the other, even though at times they concede, they are forced to caution passengers against carrying large sums of money in crime-ridden areas.
PASSENGER SATISFACTION FIRST
In a visit to the island two years ago, Matt Zimmerman, an executive of the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA), said that cruise officials were more interested in passenger satisfaction with an island than anything else and noted that it was not in their interest to try to undermine a particular destination. "The truth is that the crew members who interact often with the guests are the ones, if anybody can, who are more likely to influence the coming and going of the guest," he said. "The crew member, knowing that it was in his interest that the passenger has a good time, can recommend where to shop or where to visit. Officials do not get involve in those sorts of things."
Merchants, however, note that they have heard stories of cruise directors telling people "not to shop in Jamaica but to wait until they visit other islands where the prices are better."
They conceded though that they have not been able to confirm the charges.
