by Brian Major
Last updated: 3:40 PM ET, Mon September 23, 2024
Jamaica has hosted just
over two million overnight, land-based visitors and one million cruise arrivals
between January 1 and September 14, said Edmund Bartlett, Jamaica’s tourism
minister, in a statement.
Jamaica’s three million
total visitors this year represents “an increase over last year's figures for
the same period,” said Bartlett.
“Despite various challenges relating to U.S. travel
advisories, Hurricane Beryl and tightness in relation to airlift, we are
marginally ahead of last year’s performance, which demonstrates the sustained
recovery and growth of our tourism industry,” he said.
Bartlett earlier reported that Jamaica’s arrivals through May of this year totaled
2.96 million travelers, a 9.4 percent increase over 2023, while cruise ship
arrivals increased 11 percent
year-over-year to 1.34 million visitors.
At the time, Ministry of
Tourism officials projected the island would host five million visitors by
2025. Last year, Jamaica welcomed more than four million
visitors, Bartlett said.
Increasing airlift to the
country from new and emerging markets remains a key component of the Tourism
Ministry’s strategy as it “works to enhance competitiveness and strengthen
relationships with international carriers and stakeholders,” he added.
Said Bartlett, “As we look
ahead, sustainability and resilience remain at the forefront of Jamaica’s
tourism agenda.”
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