With the Jamaican tourism sector continuing on its robust growth trajectory for 2023, Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, has revealed that as of May 10, 2023, the island has welcomed just over 1.5 million total visitors, with provisional gross earnings exceeding US$ 1.6 billion for the same period.
Minister Bartlett made the announcement on the heels of the 41st Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association’s (CHTA) Caribbean Travel Marketplace in Barbados, where he received the President’s Award for Caribbean Excellence in Tourism. The tourism minister shared that the current year-to-date figures revealed that Destination Jamaica hit this target ahead of projections.
Minister Bartlett said, “Between January 1, 2023, and May 10, we received 1,586,303 total visitors, stopover and cruise, earning US$1.69 billion, putting our destination on par with 2019 record figures. We have seen steady growth in our arrivals and continued investment in the tourism sector, which is a tremendous achievement,”
The tourism minister stressed that strategic investments and resilience building were key areas of focus in sustaining the strong recovery of the tourism sector. He also cited intensified marketing efforts, increased room capacity, and expanded airlift connectivity as critical drivers behind the boom in tourist arrivals.
In this regard, Minister Bartlett stated: “To keep this growth on an upward trajectory, we continue to secure new air service with the addition of new routes by prestigious carriers such as American Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Spirit Airlines, Arajet, and Edelweiss Airlines. We are expanding and modernizing Sangster International Airport and have approximately 8,000 new hotel rooms slated for construction over the next two to five years.”