Jamaica on Course to Generate Over US$4B in Record Tourism Earnings

• Jamaica’s tourism sector continues to rebound strongly from the COVID-19 pandemic-induced economic fallout, generating earnings of US$3.64 billion in 2022. Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett made this disclosure during Tuesday’s (January 10) sitting of the House of Representatives.
• “We ended the year equalling our record-breaking earnings from tourism of US$3.64 billion, and the [2022/23] fiscal year, which I will report on when we make our [2023/24] budget presentation, is going to show US$4.2 billion earnings in tourism, which would be US$500 million more than 2019, which is the best year in our history,” Mr. Bartlett said.
• He highlighted that the 2022/23 winter season has, so far, “started with a bang,” with January’s figures, to date, showing a 463% increase over last year and 29 percentage points growth over 2019.
• As tourism continues to drive Jamaica’s recovery, the improvements in the sector are anticipated to continue positively contributing to both economic growth and job creation in 2023.

(Source: JIS news)