by Brian Major
Last updated: 11:05 AM ET, Fri January 20, 2023
Jamaica is poised to reach 11 percent visitor arrivals growth in 2023 compared with 2022, ahead of the forecast set by the Caribbean nation's government, said Edmund Bartlett, tourism minister.
Jamaica's higher growth projection is based on the island's "primary markets registering growth over the previous period," including "steady growth" of seven percent among U.S. travelers, said Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) officials in a statement.
"Jamaica's tourism is back, and our recovery continues to outpace our earlier projections," said Edmund Bartlett, tourism minister, speaking at the FITUR tourism trade conference in Madrid this week. "We are now in growth mode and to achieve this in double digits for this year is huge."
Additionally, visitation to Jamaica from Canada its projected to grow by 38.7 percent compared with 2022 totals, while JTB officials say travel from the United Kingdom and Europe to Jamaica is forecast to grow by 5.3 percent.
Government tourism officials attribute the country's strong post-outbreak tourism growth to a coordinated effort that includes travel advisors among various stakeholders. "Our airline partners, tour operators, travel agents and so many more have contributed to the destination remaining top of mind and accelerating our recovery," said Donovan White, JTB's director.
White said JTB has additionally applied an "integrated sales and marketing strategy embedded in the pervasive use of new technologies" to target potential travelers. Together with the technology, the agency's focus on "new and emerging markets" have enabled Jamaica "to leapfrog its own projections for growth," White added.
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