by Brian Major
Last updated: 1:20 AM ET, Tue August 29, 2023
Jamaica’s strong visitor arrivals continued
across early 2023, as the Caribbean nation’s travel demand surged by 50 percent
during the first five months of 2023
compared to the same period in 2019, according to Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) officials.
Citing data
obtained from Expedia, Jamaica’s early 2023 visitor demand outpaced 2019 in
terms of bookings, room nights and length of stay, said Edmund Bartlett, the
country’s tourism minister.
Jamaica welcomed its two millionth
visitor in June, reflecting a nine percent increase in arrivals (including both
lane-based and cruise ship visitors) compared with June 2019. Government and
tourism officials say the island will host 3.9 million visitors in 2023.
Expedia’s
data “aligns with our visitor arrival data [which shows travelers to Jamaica
are arriving in droves to experience all we have to offer,” Bartlett said. Jamaica
is Jamaica is in the top five Caribbean destinations
searched for and booked on Expedia Group’s sites, he said.
“On
this trajectory, we anticipate an even higher demand for the summer,” Bartlett
added.
“Jamaica
continues to be a leading destination within the Caribbean for Expedia Group
travelers, and we are thrilled to see the island’s strong recovery,” said Jennifer
Andre, Expedia Group’s vice president of business development.
“Together
with [JTB], we look forward to keeping the strong momentum going by generating
travel demand to the island through tailored distribution and marketing efforts,”
added Andre.
The Expedia
study also found travelers to Jamaica are planning their vacations farther
ahead, as 70 percent of Jamaica travelers have booked more than 30 days in
advance in 2023, compared with 63 percent in 2022.
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