Jamaica marks milestone, welcomes 1.7M visitors in 1st five months of 2024

Jamaica: In a significant development, Jamaica has welcomed a record breaking 1.7 million visitors within the first five months of 2024. According to the data, the island recorded an impressive 1,016,185 stopover arrivals and more than 700,000 cruise passengers as of May 5 and 7 respectively.The data has also revealed that the country has earned around US$1.8 billion in revenue, showcasing an increased of 4.6 percent for stopover arrivals and 23 percent increase for the passengers of cruise. Last year, the island welcomed a total of 581,822 in the same period while this time 713,983 visitors arrived in Jamaica through cruises. While sharing the development, the Minister of Tourism of Jamaica, Edmund Bartlett said that the nation is grateful too see continued growth in the arrival and earnings which speaks to the confidence the tourism partners as well as visitors have in the destination. He said that hitting the point of seven million arrivals shows an outstanding feat and showcases the dedication and hard work of the tourism team led by the heart of the industry which is the workers.Minister Bartlett also indicated that the island is on track to welcome 5 million visitors and earn US$5 billion by the next year. He added that in spite of the disruptions caused due to the pandemic, Jamaica is on its way to achieving these unprecedented milestones., With 1 million stopover arrivals and more than seven hundred thousand cruise passengers during the 1st week of May, the country is in a good position to make it happen. The Minister highlighted that his team would continue to aggressively market the destination and work consistently with the partners to reach this point. Meanwhile, the Director of Tourism, Donovan White, said that Jamaica remains the premier destination that is well known for its authentic experiences. He said that whether it is the food, entertainment, or music, there is a vibe that only comes alive in this island nation.