Jamaica Visitor Surge Outpacing Global Destinations

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Jamaican visitor arrivals and hotel occupancy trended sharply higher across November, with airline capacity and consumer demand outpacing other global destinations, according to recent data from the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB).

In a survey conducted on November 6 and 7 by the Jamaica Hotel & Tourist Association (JHTA), Jamaica hotels averaged a 65 percent occupancy rate, said JTB officials. Additionally, travel technology firm Amadeus has identified Jamaica as leading all other global destinations in terms of visitor demand, with global searches for Jamaica at 38 percent of 2019 levels compared with 24 percent for all other global destinations, said JTB.

Jamaica also leads other global destinations in “flown or committed” airline capacity, with airline capacity currently at 65 percent of 2019 levels compared with an average of 44 percent for other global destinations. The Caribbean nation also outpaces other global destinations in international air arrivals, tallying 45 percent of 2019 arrivals compared with 31 percent for the rest of the world.

JTB officials also report GDS bookings for Jamaica are at 61 percent of 2019 levels compared with 28 percent for other global destinations. Data from Jamaica’s top five air and tour operator partners in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. additionally indicate Jamaica’s November 2021 bookings were at 95 percent of November 2019 levels, while December 2021 bookings are at 97 percent of November 2019 levels.

“As international borders continue to reopen, we anticipate an increase in visitor arrivals to the destination and can expect a heightened intensity in the marketplace for both traditional and non-traditional competing destinations,” said Donovan White, JTB’s director of tourism.

“Jamaica is well on its way to a strong recovery,” he added. “In 2021, we had an absolutely blistering summer of stopover arrivals and for the calendar year to the end of October, we’re now tracking just over a million stopover arrivals.”

White said air arrivals between January and October of 2021 increased 41 percent year-over-year, reaching 48 percent of 2019 levels. Jamaica’s increased airline capacity includes new flights from Miami, Atlanta and Orlando to Montego Bay on Frontier Airlines and Philadelphia to Kingston service aboard American Airlines.

American is also utilizing larger 787 Dreamliner aircraft on flights to Montego Bay from cities including Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Orlando, Boston and Dallas.

“The launch of these new non-stop flights, at a time when international travel from our key source markets is rebounding, is a strong vote of confidence by the carrier for the strength of Jamaica’s tourism product,” White added.

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