Jamaica rises four places in global tourism competitiveness index
Key Points(5)
- Jamaica has moved up four places in the World Economic Forum’s Travel & Tourism Development Index (TTDI), rising from 82nd to 78th among 110 economies assessed in the 2026 edition.
- The index, produced in collaboration with Zurich Insurance Group, measures the conditions that support sustainable and resilient tourism development, including infrastructure, connectivity, digital readiness, safety and security, and natural and cultural resources.
- It does not measure visitor arrivals or tourism earnings.
- Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett welcomed Jamaica’s improved ranking, describing it as a sign of progress in the country’s efforts to strengthen the competitiveness and resilience of its tourism sector.
- 78 is not just four places — it is validation,” Bartlett said while speaking at the Tourism Awareness Week AI Youth Forum at Sandals Dunns River.
Jamaica has moved up four places in the World Economic Forum’s Travel & Tourism Development Index (TTDI), rising from 82nd to 78th among 110 economies assessed in the 2026 edition.
The index, produced in collaboration with Zurich Insurance Group, measures the conditions that support sustainable and resilient tourism development, including infrastructure, connectivity, digital readiness, safety and security, and natural and cultural resources. It does not measure visitor arrivals or tourism earnings.
Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett welcomed Jamaica’s improved ranking, describing it as a sign of progress in the country’s efforts to strengthen the competitiveness and resilience of its tourism sector.
“Moving from No. 82 to No. 78 is not just four places — it is validation,” Bartlett said while speaking at the Tourism Awareness Week AI Youth Forum at Sandals Dunns River.
Jamaica recorded the largest improvement in rank among economies in the Americas and was the only economy in the region to rise four places. Its TTDI score increased by 2.3% from the 2024 edition, placing Jamaica two positions higher than its 2019 ranking.
Bartlett said the index reflects a broader shift in how tourism competitiveness is measured.
“The old index measured what we built — airports and hotel rooms. The new Beyond Tourism index measures what we survived — people, resilience, and retention. Jamaica built that,” he said.
Jamaica ranked 76th in the index in 2015, 69th in 2017, 76th in 2019 and 82nd in 2024.
“This movement in the global competitiveness rankings is an important indicator that Jamaica is moving in the right direction,” Bartlett said. “To rise four places in a highly competitive global tourism environment demonstrates that the investments we are making in our people, infrastructure, visitor experience, connectivity, resilience and destination development are producing measurable progress.”
He said Jamaica’s tourism strategy is increasingly focused not only on attracting visitors but also on maintaining the destination’s competitiveness and relevance as the international tourism market evolves.
“Tourism competitiveness today is about much more than sun, sea and sand,” Bartlett said. “It is about the quality of our human capital, the strength of our infrastructure, our ability to innovate, our digital readiness, sustainability, connectivity and the overall value proposition that we offer to visitors.”
The improvement comes as Jamaica pursues its Tourism 3.0 framework, which emphasizes innovation, human capital development, resilience, sustainability and stronger links between tourism and the wider economy.
The Ministry of Tourism and its public bodies said they will continue to use international competitiveness indicators to inform policy, guide investments and strengthen destination management.
The Tourism Action Club’s Youth Forum, held as part of Tourism Awareness Week, brought together 250 high school students from across Jamaica to examine how artificial intelligence and digital technologies are changing the tourism sector.
The forum was held under the theme “AI and Digital Technologies: The Power of Curiosity.”
