by Brian Major
Last updated: 11:55 AM ET, Mon October 13, 2025
Jamaica’s
minister of tourism, Esmund Bartlett, completed the first phase of a global
marketing blitz during which he outlined new key performance indicators (KPI’s)
for Jamaica’s top three source markets – the United Kingdom, Canada and the United
States – to guide tourism growth through 2030.
Bartlett launched
the blitz at the Jamaica Travel Mart in London, where he set the U.Ktarget at 500,000 visitors and £500
million in earnings over the next five years. He continued in Toronto, where 600,000 visitors and $750 million in earnings was projected from
the Canadian market.
The blitz
concluded in New York City, where the goal for the U.S. market, Jamaica’s largest,
was set at five million visitors (including overnight, land-based and cruise
ship visitors) and $6 billion in earnings by 2030.
“This Global
Marketing Blitz marks the beginning of a transformative journey for Jamaica’s
tourism industry,” said Bartlett in a statement. “We are not only targeting
higher arrivals and earnings but building a stronger, more inclusive, and more
resilient tourism economy.”
Jamaica’s marketing
blitz will next target South America, including Argentina, Chile, Colombia, and
Panama, followed by engagements in early 2026 in the Middle East and Europe.
Jamaica has set a new
overall tourism KPI goal of hosting 8 million visitors and earning $10 billion
in the next five years.
Donovan White, director
of tourism, said the Jamaica Tourist Board is ready to strengthen partnerships
with airlines, travel agents, and tour operators to achieve these targets,
while Philip Rose, deputy director of tourism, Americas, welcomed the new KPIs
as a key driver of growth from the U.S. market.
Bartlett said the
Marketing Blitz initiative aligns with Jamaica’s carrying capacity development
program, which is designed to expand high-value, luxury experiences and
increase local ownership through a new ‘Local First’ policy.
A task force, led
by Minister of State Hon. Tova Hamilton, will drive this effort to ensure
broader Jamaican participation in tourism’s supply chain, said Bartlett.
“The
industry must evolve from extractive to be more inclusive,” he added. “Our
people must be at the center of tourism’s growth.”
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