Kingston, May 1st (JIS):
Jamaica's tourist arrival numbers have not been adversely affected by the travel advisory, said the Minister of Tourism, Hon. Jamaica. Edmund Bartlett.
Speaking at a press conference after a cabinet meeting on Wednesday (May 1) at Jamaica House, he said travel advisories are the “remit” of Jamaica's international partners.
“We grade by evaluating the three S’s: Safe, Secure, and Seamless. It is our job to ensure the highest level of evaluation every time a grading is completed,” Bartlett said. Ta.
He further shared that Jamaica is working diligently to remove elements that are considered to foster negative reviews.
“We are also working with our diplomatic partners to better understand the situation in Jamaica, and we are now relying heavily on Jamaica's strong history of safe and secure experience,” Bartlett said.
He noted that Jamaica's repeat visitor rate was 42%, the highest in the region, and that incidents occurred relative to the tourist population were limited.
Stopover arrivals in the 2023/24 financial year are estimated to increase by 9.4% to 2.96 million, while cruise arrivals are estimated at 1.34 million, an increase of 9% compared to the first half of 2022/23.
“I am pleased that the market does not have the same opinion on many of the recommendations that come to us. That is why I am able to give you the figures that we have put forward,” the minister said.
Contact: Judana Murphy
