This was noted by Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, who pointed out that arrivals to the island are close to pre-pandemic levels in 2019.
The winter tourist season will last from December 15, 2022 to April 30, 2023.
“We are at 97 per cent at this time, but our earnings [are] significantly higher than anticipated and I am very proud to say that at this moment, Jamaica has earned US$3.64 billion from tourism during this difficult year when we are now able to say we have recovered,” the Minister said.
Mr. Bartlett was addressing an appreciation ceremony held for staff at the Norman Manley International Airport (NMIA) in Kingston, on Tuesday (December 20). The ceremony is traditionally held to kick-start the peak tourist season.
The Minister said that the NMIA’s expanded service offerings attract diverse travellers and that the Government’s strategic vision of creating greater interconnectivity of the tourism infrastructure has assisted in enhanced visitor experience and recovery of the industry.
He pointed out that the figures are showing that as of December 18, some 697,000 passengers have come through the NMIA, including 381,000 tourists and 304,000 diaspora, local and business travellers.
Mr. Bartlett said these figures are ahead of earlier projections and indicate the full recovery of the industry.
The Minister commended all stakeholders who contributed to the recovery.
“Congratulations to all of us. It is not a job that was done by one element in the tourism matrix… . It is something that was done by every single player in this industry,” he said.