After the epidemic, Jamaica’s tourism industry is powering the country’s restoration; its GDP expanded by 5.7% in the second quarter of this year.
According to The Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), most recent study, tourism and hospitality have made a considerable contribution to this economic expansion.
In addition to exceeding the projected numbers for 2021, Jamaica’s tourist board reports that the average duration of stay has returned to 2019 levels, at 7.9 nights, and, more importantly, that the average cost per visitor has climbed from $168 per person per night to $182.
“The tourist sector is earning more foreign exchange per visitor, thus there is more money circulating in the economy in general, and this benefits numerous actors in the industry,” according to Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett.
Similar to other Caribbean nations, Jamaica is currently seeing the greatest influx of foreign visitors than any other summer season in Caribbean history.
A record year, this summer saw 5,000 more tourists than in 2019. Additionally, income from tourism in the nation has climbed by 20% from the previous year.
Bartlett declared at the opening ceremony of the 18th Annual U.S. Travel Advisor Golf Tournament at Sandals Ochi Rios Beach Resort in St. Ann, “This is the best summer tourism Jamaica has ever witnessed.”
Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic Jamaica was supposed to see by 2025, the tourism industry had forecast the arrival of 2.6 million tourists (excluding cruise passengers) and $4.2 billion in earnings for 2022.
The minister emphasised that the tourist industry has been the main driver of Jamaica’s economy up to five consecutive quarters of growth.
He served as an example with the 5.7 percent economic growth that was recorded in the April–June 2022 quarter, with the tourism and hospitality industry taking the lead and accounting for 55.4 percent of the gain.