Jamaica’s Tourism Minister, Edmund Bartlett, has outlined a strategic plan to diversify the island’s tourism sector and warned of significant challenges facing the aviation industry.
Speaking in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, Bartlett stressed the need for resilience as Jamaica continues to recover from the devastation caused by Hurricane Beryl. He noted that global economic uncertainty, airline capacity issues and travel advisories pose significant headwinds for the tourism industry.
“Mr. Chairman, the global economy is characterized by dynamism and complexity, bringing both challenges and opportunities,” he said, highlighting the risks posed by inflation and geopolitical issues and their impact on travel demand.
He said challenges facing the global aviation industry included, among others, issues with sourcing new aircraft and staffing shortages and their potential impact on air transport to Jamaica.
To address these challenges, he said the tourism ministry is focusing on three main strategies: diversifying markets, strengthening marketing and improving air transport.
“We are intensifying efforts to diversify our supply markets, with a particular focus on Latin America and the Middle East, to reduce our reliance on traditional markets,” he said.
The Tourism Minister said he plans to strengthen Jamaica’s digital and traditional marketing to reach potential visitors more effectively and efficiently, and will work closely with airline partners to maintain and improve air transport to Jamaica, and explore new routes and partnerships.
He also stressed the importance of investing in tourism infrastructure and product development to provide unique, quality experiences that set Jamaica apart from other tourist destinations.
performance
The Minister said despite the challenges, Jamaica’s tourism sector has demonstrated incredible resilience with visitor numbers increasing significantly following the passage of Hurricane Beryl, saying the island has welcomed more than 105,000 tourists since reopening its ports following the passage of Hurricane Beryl.
“This influx of tourists is expected to begin on the Fourth of July, just days after the hurricane, and will be further boosted by events such as Reggae Sumfest 2024, bringing in approximately $20 million in revenue.”
Highlighting the sector’s impressive growth, Bartlett said total revenue soared to $4.38 billion, up 9.6 percent from the previous fiscal year. He also noted that stopover passengers increased 9.4 percent to a record 2.96 million, and cruise tourism increased 16 percent.
Building resilience
However, he noted that the resilience of the sector was truly tested by the recent passage of Hurricane Beryl, which struck Jamaica as a Category 4 storm with winds of 130-150 miles per hour.
He detailed the severe impact the hurricane had on the southern coastal areas, particularly Clarendon, Manchester and St Elizabeth, but said there had been no significant impact on the tourism industry as a whole.
He acknowledged reports of sporadic property damage in areas such as Lover’s Leap and Treasure Beach in St Elizabeth.
-Janet Silvera
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