Tourist Slump in the Caribbean Frets Jamaican Authorities

Jamaican officials plan to open a tourism training school as part of a campaign to reverse a downturn in visitors to the Caribbean island, including from the key U.S. market. “The (tourism) industry has been on a dangerous, downwards spiral over the last six months,” newly appointed Tourism Minister Ed Bartlett said in a recent statement.

Jamaica has seen a 12 percent drop this year in visitors from the United States, which accounts for the bulk of the island’s tourism. Other Caribbean islands are reporting similar slumps, according to the Caribbean Tourism Organization. Experts have cited new passport rules and a sluggish U.S. economy as possible explanations.

Among those agents who reported fewer Caribbean bookings, two-thirds said they thought new passport requirements had contributed to the decline. Other reasons cited were prices, a sense that travelers are “looking for something new and different” (including vacations that are more “exotic” or “active” than a stay at the beach), hurricane threats, and an increase in European bookings.