by Brian Major
Last updated: 12:16 PM ET, Wed October 20, 2021
Recent aircraft upgrades and new passenger data from major carriers American Airlines and Southwest Airlines are indicative of Jamaica's continuing rebound from the pandemic travel shutdown, said Edmund Bartlett, Jamaica's tourism minister.
Beginning in November, American Airlines will utilize higher passenger capacity Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft on flights to Montego Bay departing from Dallas/Fort Worth, Miami and Philadelphia. The larger jets will accommodate "the higher demand" for travel to Jamaica, Bartlett said. American will also launch thrice-weekly non-stop flights from Philadelphia to Kingston.
Additionally, Bartlett said officials at Southwest Airlines say their flights into Montego Bay "near-term are very close to pre-pandemic record year levels," Bartlett said. The growth "indicated by American and Southwest is further supported by online travel retailer Expedia," he added, whose data shows room-night and passenger growth metrics in Jamaica "surpassing a comparable period in 2019."
Bartlett said the data on Jamaica's recent tourism growth follows meetings with airlines, Expedia and "travel industry leaders across Jamaica's largest source markets of the United States and Canada." The meetings were aimed at "[Driving] increased tourist arrivals in the near term and to cement further investment in the island's tourism sector," said Bartlett.
"American, Southwest and Expedia are critical partners for Jamaica's tourism sector, and we look forward to welcoming many more visitors in the near future," he said. "Confidence in growth for Jamaica's tourism remains strong and we will maintain our world-class Jamaica CARES health and safety protocols, including our Resilient Corridors, to ensure a robust winter."
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