Jamaica Reports Tourist Arrivals up 14 Percent in January

Jamaica Reports Tourist Arrivals up 14 Percent in January

Jamaica recorded a 14 percent increase in overnight tourist arrivals in the first half of January, representing 10,000 tourists and $10.5 million economic impact, according to Edmund Bartlett, the country’s tourism minister. Speaking at press conference at the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association’s Caribbean Marketplace in Montego Bay, Bartlett said the 2011 total represents a 15 percent increase over 2010 figures for the same period. “The growth is a continuation of the success we have experienced in the last few years,” Bartlett said.

Totals were up 3.9 percent in 2007, 3.6 percent in 2008 and 2009, and 4.7 percent in 2009. In all, Jamaica expects to record 1.92 million overnight arrivals in 2011, said Bartlett, and the country is seeking to attract five million annual visitors within the next five years, accounting for a $5 billion economic impact.

The early 2001 figures also continue strong growth recorded at the end of 2010; including a 6.8 percent increase in overnight arrivals and a 2.1 percent increase in cruise passenger arrivals from October to December 2010 compared to the same period in 2009. Bartlett said early estimates show Jamaica earned nearly $2 billion from overnight arrivals in 2010.