One of the largest European travel and tourism conglomerates, TUI Group, has indicated its intention to expand its presence in Jamaica in summer 2023 with increased flights.
Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett said part of Jamaica’s recovery efforts has been to strengthen partnerships with tourism stakeholders like the TUI Group, and its intention to increase flights signaled confidence in the destination.
“This move will undoubtedly augur well for the destination in terms of arrivals and economic activity in terms of jobs and overall earnings,” he said at a meeting with one of the airline’s senior executives and senior Jamaica Tourist Board officials.
TUI currently operates ten flights out of Gatwick, Manchester, and Birmingham in the United Kingdom. These flights support both cruise and land stop-over arrivals. The plan is to have up to eight flights dedicated to stop-over arrivals by summer 2023.
“Each flight carries roughly 340 passengers, which means about 3,000 passengers weekly who spend 11 to 12 nights in the destination. This is a very positive step as we work towards full recovery from the fallout of the pandemic,” said Jamaica’s Director of Tourism Donovan White.
TUI Group fully and partially owns several travel agencies, hotel chains, cruise lines and retail shops as well as five European airlines. The group also owns the largest holiday airplane fleet in Europe and holds multiple European tour operators.
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