Jamaica welcomes 1.7 million visitors in first 5 months, aiming for 5 million mark by 2025

Jamaica: During the first five months of the year, Jamaica has witnessed a booming 1.7 million visitors. According to the data shared by the Ministry of Tourism, the island welcomed over 1,016,185 stopover visitors and around 7,00,000 cruise passengers as on May 5 and May 7 respectively. The nation has earned around US$1.8 billion revenue till the month of May since the beginning of 2024.

The numbers mark a significant increase of 4.6% in stopover arrivals and a 23% increase in the number of cruise passengers. The number has jumped from 581,822 to 713,983 in a year.

Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett shared the data during the opening session of the 2024/2025 Sectoral Debate in Parliament. He proudly stated that Jamaica’s tourism sector has flourished despite the challenges that the global cruise industry has been facing.

On the other hand, the local cruise shipping brought 1.26 million visitors in 2023 which was 48.3 per cent more than the number achieved in 2022.

He further added, “I am pleased to say that the expectation is that the 2024/25 vessel arrivals and passenger count will equal or exceed those in the 2023/24 fiscal year despite the challenges in the sector.”

Jamaica is grateful to witness continuous growth both in terms of the numbers of visitors and revenue generation, it clearly states the faith that travellers have in the nation. All the credit goes to the commitment and hard work of the tourism team and industry workers, noted the minister of tourism.

Minister Barlett also shared that the pace Jamaica is currently growing at, it is all set to record five million visitors and earnings of around US$ 5 billion by the year 2025.

The Minister of Tourism is continuously working in order to take Jamaica’s tourism industry to new heights, currently also he is leading meetings in Dubai, to enhance the air connectivity between UAE and Jamaica. He has been sharing his strategic vision with other tourism partners, which will help attract more visitors to the island nation.