Jamaica is nearing the end of what will likely be are best summer ever for tourism, and the outlook for autumn is also promising.
This includes data from the important US market, where Jamaica is now expecting an increase in flight capacity 140,000 additional seats between September and December.
This implies a growth of 18% compared to 2019 before the pandemic started, and an increase of 19% compared to the same period in 2022.
“This additional capacity is a testament to the appeal of the island’s tourism product and the excellent relationships we maintain with our US airline partners,” said the Hon. Edmund Bartlett, Minister of Tourism, Jamaica.
“They are clearly confident that we can fill these seats as we now surpass the number of stops in 2019 and are on track for a full recovery to full-year 2023 numbers,” he added.
The rise was primarily due to additional American Airlines flights from Dallas and Chicago, expanded United service from Chicago, and increased Southwest Airlines flights from Baltimore and Orlando, among others.
“As we continue to grow tourist numbers, new routes, larger aircraft and more available seats from our valued airline partners are critical to achieving that goal,” said Donovan White, director of tourism for the Jamaica Tourist Board. “We are deeply grateful to all carriers who have expanded service to Jamaica and look forward to continuing to work together over the years.”
This summer, Jamaica booked 1.4 million seats, up 16 percent from the previous record set in 2019.
Nearly 75% of all tourists visiting Jamaica are Americans.
