Jamaica Records 60% Surge in Caribbean Visitor Arrivals

Aircraft approaches runway at Sangster International Airport 

Jamaica is seeing increasing interest from Latin American travellers, with tourism officials identifying the region as the country’s fastest-growing market since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Director of Tourism Donovan White said this growth has been the result of deliberate efforts to expand air services, noting that Jamaica now has significantly stronger connections with destinations including Peru and Panama, while Brazil is set to be added.

According to White, visitors arriving from Latin America are highly active during their stay, frequently exploring restaurants, entertainment venues and nightlife instead of remaining at their hotels. He suggested this presents valuable opportunities for local businesses to develop recurring events that encourage tourists to return while attracting first-time visitors.

Speaking during The Event Playbook: Strategies for Event Tourism Success workshop at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, on Friday, White also pointed to improvements in regional airline connectivity as a major driver of tourism growth across the Caribbean.

He explained that Jamaica has experienced a notable increase in airlines operating multi-destination services throughout the region, making travel between Caribbean countries easier while strengthening the island’s role as a regional tourism hub. The expanded network is also supporting event tourism, business travel and multi-destination vacation packages.

White indicated that maintaining investment in regional partnerships and air transportation would be important to preserving this growth and creating additional opportunities for Caribbean tourism.

The tourism official also disclosed that visitor arrivals from Caribbean countries have climbed by 60 per cent over the past three years. He credited that increase largely to the expansion of inter-Caribbean flights, which have improved accessibility between regional destinations.

According to White, encouraging travel within the Caribbean, including trips by members of the diaspora, has remained a strategic priority for the Jamaica Tourist Board. He added that discussions aimed at rebuilding regional airlift capacity and improving connectivity have now begun delivering measurable results.

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