Tourism in Jamaica riding ‘unprecedented surge’

“My friends, I am pleased to tell you that the state of the tourist industry in Jamaica is strong and flourishing. Our industry has embraced ‘More in 24’ recognising the transformative power of Jamaica’s tourist industry, which is, like many in our region, the backbone of our economy,” Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett told the gathering in the Jamaica press conference on Tuesday, May 21.

The conference was part of activities on day two of the 2024 Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association Caribbean Travel Marketplace held at the Montego Bay Conference Centre in St James from May 20 to 23.

“I’m happy to see the tourist industry in Jamaica has maintained a remarkable post-COVID-19 pandemic rebound solidifying Jamaica’s position as one of the world’s fastest-recovering countries and the Caribbean’s fastest-growing tourist destination,” Bartlett continued. He paused to reflect on what is happening in Jamaica’s main tourism markets.

He said, “Many Americans still cite inflationary concerns, as well as the normal uncertainties found in an election year. In Canada, there is modest economic growth, but still inflationary concerns. Likewise in the United Kingdom, our third largest market for visitors, there is still the navigation of the post-Brexit landscape with trade disruptions, regulatory changes and investment uncertainty. Meanwhile the European Union is still undergoing a process of uneven economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and geopolitical challenges.

Yet, Bartlett said he was “thrilled to announce that tourism in Jamaica was experiencing an unprecedented surge”. For example, Jamaica’s key markets had shown strong performances in the overall market with a 74 per cent share of total arrival, outperforming 2022 by 16 percentage points.

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The second-largest market, Canada, experienced remarkable growth of 38.6 per cent, accounting for 12.9 per cent of the market. For the just-concluded fiscal year, 2023-2024, he noted that there is significant growth in Jamaica’s tourist sector, with gross earnings projected to reach US$4.3 billion, marking a notable nine per cent increase compared to the fiscal year 2022-2023.

And 2024 is looking even brighter, the upbeat Bartlett said, as the country has recorded an impressive 1.7 million visitors within the first five months. Based on preliminary data the country has recorded 1,016,185 stop-over arrivals and over 700,000 cruise passengers, earning roughly US$1.8 billion in revenue.

This represents a 4.6 per cent increase for stopover arrivals and a 23 per cent increase for cruise passengers, moving from 581,822 to 713,983 over 2023.

This outlook corresponds with a total arrival forecast of 4.58 million visitors, comprising 3.23 million stop-over arrivals and 1.4 million cruise arrivals. The country is also anticipating a seven per cent increase in total arrivals compared to the previous financial year. As at May 19, stop-over arrivals stand at over 1.1 million. These projections, the minister said, also indicate that Jamaica is on track to reach the goal of five million visitors in 2025, bringing approximately $5 billion into the economy.

Bartlett also said that with the imminent completion of 2,000 new rooms in 2024, alone, Jamaica is making significant strides towards its target of adding 20,000 rooms in the next 10 to 15 years Jamaica is poised to welcome a wave of robust investments from diverse sources, including local Jamaican businesses and international entities from Canada, The United States, Thailand the Middle East Mexico and Europe.

“It means that we are both proud and grateful. We’re proud that Jamaica continues to set the industry standard for excellence and we’re grateful that both consumers and investors appreciate our hospitality. Here in Jamaica, hospitality is in our DNA. It is who we are, innately. It is what makes us resilient, and it helps account for an unmatched 42 per cent repeat-visitor rate,” Minister Bartlett shared.