Jamaica Reports 3.9 Percent Growth in Visitors in 2008

The Jamaica Tourist Board announced that 2008 was another year of growth for its tourism industry. The island’s stopover arrivals increased by 3.9 percent, with a total of 1,769,271 visitors.

Of that number, 1,150,942 of the arrivals came from the United States, representing a 1.6 percent increase from that market over 2007. “The United States has historically been the largest source market for Jamaica’s tourism,” said John Lynch, Jamaica’s Director of Tourism.

“Though current economic hardships pose a challenge to the travel industry, we are confident that travelers from the United States will consider Jamaica’s accessibility and value when considering a vacation destination in the coming year.” The number of travelers to Jamaica from the U.S. continues to remain very strong, with the U.S. making up more than 65 percent of all the island’s visitors in 2008.

Jamaica has continued to expand its attractions and room inventory. The RIU Montego Bay opened last fall with 681 rooms; and the Iberostar Rose Hall Beach Resort, Iberostar Rose Hall Suites and Iberostar Rose Hall Grand now offer 978 rooms combined.

Scheduled to open in June this year, Solis the Palmyra Resort & Spa, the island’s first luxury beachfront residential community, will offer 299 guestrooms plus one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom suites, penthouses and private villas. A range of new and expanded attractions is also adding to Jamaica’s infrastructure including Mystic Mountain in Ocho Rios.