This summer, Jamaica had the highest number of stopover visitor arrivals and foreign exchange earnings in the island’s history, according to Tourism Minister, Edmund Bartlett.
Bartlett was speaking at the welcome ceremony for the 18th annual USA Travel Advisor Golf Tournament at Sandals Ochi Beach Resort in St. Ann on September 10.
He indicated that “we have 5,000 more visitors than in [the summer of] 2019, which was a record year; [and] the better news is that our earnings in the summer [of 2022 are] up 20 percent over 2019.”
He added: “So, not only is it that the numbers [of visitors] came, but the earnings from tourism also grew. So… this summer is the best summer that tourism has experienced in the history of Jamaica.”
According to the minister, at the start of the year, the country’s tourism sector was expected to earn $3.5 billion and welcome approximately 2.3 million stopover visitors for the year, to be the Caribbean’s fastest-growing tourist destination.
However, he noted that the sector is now up to 2.6 million projections for stopover visitors, not including cruise passengers, and the projection for earnings is US$4.2 billion.
Bartlett said before the COVID-19 pandemic, “we had projected for this to happen five years down the road… in 2025.”
He further noted that Jamaica’s economy has grown for up to five consecutive quarters, with tourism leading the way in each period.
He cited the 5.7 percent economic growth recorded in the April to June 2022 quarter, with the tourism and hospitality sector leading the way with 55.4 percent.
The golf tournament, which is expected to benefit and improve Jamaica’s image as a golfing destination, will feature over 150 travel advisors from across the United States.
It will be held for the first time since the outbreak of the pandemic.
The two-day tournament, which runs from September 12 to 13, will feature teams playing in a four-member scramble format, putting their skills to the test, and competing in a variety of competitions throughout the tournament.
Overall, Champions and Runners Up; Closest to Pin Female; Closest to Pin Male; Longest Drive Female; and Longest Drive Male are among the categories being contested.
