Jamaica Set for Strong 2024/25 Winter Tourist Season with Boosted Airlift and Bookings

• The 2024/25 winter tourist season, which begins on December 15, promises to be “very good” for Jamaica, according to Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett. “We have improved bookings and airlift. In fact, out of the United States, we have 70,000 more seats than we did last year,” he told JIS News.
• The Minister further informed that 45,000 additional seats will come out of South America. He pointed out that with direct flights now available from Lima, Peru, to Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay via LATAM Airlines, a strong response is expected from the South American market.
• “That flight connects to about five countries in South America. So we are very comfortable with the expansion of the South American market,” he added.
• Meanwhile, Mr. Bartlett said Jamaica continues to be a destination of choice for other markets. “The European market is performing and certainly the United Kingdom (UK). Jamaica is the number-one Caribbean destination for tourism out of the UK now; we clipped Barbados and we’re moving ahead strongly there,” he indicated, adding that Canada has also shown very strong bookings for the season.
• This augurs well for Jamaica's tourism sector, building on the record-breaking year of 2023 to meet its goal of earning US$5 billion from five million tourist arrivals within a targeted five-year period ending in 2025.
• However, the sector has faced challenges this year due to Hurricane Beryl in July and a Level 3 travel advisory from the U.S. in January 2024.  The advisory was revised in July to soften its language on crime, boosting optimism for better performance for the rest of the season.

(Sources: JIS & NCBCM Research)