KINGSTON, Jamaica – Regardless of the latest challenges posed by Hurricane Beryl, Jamaica’s tourism sector has demonstrated outstanding resilience, welcoming over 105,000 stopover guests since reopening its ports. This spectacular statistic, introduced by the Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, throughout his closing presentation of the 2024/2025 Sectoral Debate in Parliament, underscores the trade’s power and its important contribution to the Jamaican economic system.
“On July 2nd and threerd, we had no guests arriving in Jamaica,” stated Minister Bartlett. “Nonetheless, on the Fourth of July, we began receiving guests once more and in simply 11 days, we’ve introduced in 105,000 stopover guests. That is what resilience appears like.”
He famous that the fast rebound is a testomony to Jamaica’s well-honed catastrophe preparedness plans and the unwavering spirit of its tourism stakeholders. The Minister additional defined that the arrival numbers acquired a major bump due to patrons visiting for Reggae Sumfest 2024, at the moment underway in Montego Bay.
Minister Bartlett additionally reiterated the trade’s spectacular efficiency over the previous 12 months. Gross earnings surged to US$4.38 billion, reflecting a outstanding 9.6% improve in comparison with the earlier fiscal 12 months. This development is fueled by a record-breaking 2.96 million stopover arrivals, representing a 9.4% rise over 2022/2023.
The Minister went on to focus on that the resilience extends past stopover arrivals as cruise tourism has additionally skilled a major resurgence, with a 16% improve year-on-year. Jamaica has already hosted practically 800,000 cruise passengers within the first half of 2024.
“We’ve got already welcomed 2.4 million guests to our island this 12 months, preserving us effectively on monitor to realize our annual goal of 4.3 million,” Minister Bartlett shared. “These figures will not be simply numbers. They characterize jobs for our individuals, alternatives for our companies and a stronger, extra resilient economic system for Jamaica. They affirm our place as a premier Caribbean vacation spot and underscore the effectiveness of our tourism methods.”
