by Donald Wood
Last updated: 9:05 AM ET, Tue February 6, 2024
The tourism industry is alive and thriving in Jamaica,
with the island nation reporting that the number of visitor arrivals in 2023
not only surpassed the totals from 2022, but also the pre-pandemic record set
in 2019.
According to the Jamaica
Tourist Board, the country welcomed around 4.1 million travelers in 2023, a
16 percent increase over the previous year’s total and a 7.5 percent improvement
from the number of visitors registered in 2019.
In total, around three million United States citizens
visited Jamaica last year.
“Jamaica continues to break records in terms of tourism
arrivals in a spectacular pattern of growth,” Jamaica Tourism Minister Edmund
Bartlett said. “It is deeply gratifying to remain a top destination of choice
among travelers internationally as well as from our primary source market, the
U.S., and maintain our position as one of the world’s leading tourism
destinations.”
Looking forward, the Jamaica Tourist Board expects to add
2,000 new rooms to the nation’s hotel portfolio in 2024, highlighting the first
1,000 rooms of the 2,000-room Princess Grand Jamaica, the 753-room Riu Palace
Aquarelle and the 450-room Unico Hotel in Montego Bay.
This year, Jamaica will welcome new service between Miami
and Ocho Rios by American Airlines, starting on February 24, as well as a new
non-stop flight from Cleveland to Montego Bay’s Sangster International Airport
by Frontier Airlines, starting on March 9.
“With a 42 percent repeat visitor rate overall complementing
our remarkable visitor arrivals growth, we are confident that 2024 will be yet
another record-breaking year,” Jamaica Tourist Board Director Donovan White
said. “In addition, we continue to add new airlift from key gateways and will
have a number of new hotels opening throughout the year to support our tourism
growth trajectory.”
Last month, travel advisor consortium Ensemble partnered
with the Jamaica Tourist Board to launch
a Specialist Certification program focused on the island’s top luxury
resorts.
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