Jamaica Welcomes Historic 2 Million Visitors in First Five Months of 2024

• The Minister of Tourism, Honorable Edmund Bartlett, has announced a historic milestone for Jamaica, with the island recording 2 million visitors in the first five months of the year. Preliminary figures show that Jamaica received 1,265,830 stopover visitors and 745,812 cruise passengers between January and May. This translates to an 8.5% increase in arrivals and USD 1.9Bn in earnings.
• The Minister, who shared the news at the launch of Reggae Sumfest, also applauded the festival’s organisers while highlighting its impact on tourism’s growth over the years. “Since 2016, Reggae Sumfest has seen approximately 175 thousand patrons, with 35 thousand being visitors. Outside of these impressive numbers, the festival injects US$20Mn annually into the local economy.
• Reggae Sumfest, initiated in 1993, is recognised as the biggest music festival in Jamaica and the Caribbean. It occurs annually in mid-July in Montego Bay. Every year, it draws thousands of local and international attendees to Jamaica's tourism hub.
• With a great start to the 2024 year, the country is poised to surpass its forecast of 4.58Mn visitors with a 9.6% increase in earnings of US$4.38Bn.

 (Source: JIS)