Jamaica’s Winter Tourism Surge Shatters Expectations

• Jamaica’s winter tourist season has exceeded expectations, with an influx of over 70,000 visitors within the first seven days, reflecting not only the island’s growing appeal but also its strong recovery from recent challenges.
• Of the total arrivals, around 46,000 were stopover visitors, while an additional 30,000 tourists arrived via cruise ships. Since the passage of the hurricane, Jamaica has welcomed a total of 370,000 visitors and generated US$331.20Mn in tourism revenue.
• Jamaica’s strong start to the winter season underscores tourism’s critical role in the national economy. Increased visitor arrivals have driven a welcome rise in early revenue, while the US$331.20Mn generated since the hurricane highlights tourism’s ongoing contribution to economic recovery and long-term growth.
• As Jamaica progresses through the winter tourist season, stakeholders are confident that the country will continue to attract record numbers of visitors. Furthermore, given the central importance of the tourism industry to Jamaica’s economy, its quick recovery will be a priority for the Jamaican government. As such, with ongoing investments in infrastructure, workforce development, and tourism marketing, Jamaica is well-positioned to continue its recovery and growth in the coming years.

(Sources: Travel and Tour World & BMI, A Fitch Solutions Company)

^[1]  The International Monetary Fund’s Assessing Reserve Adequacy (ARA) metric