JAMAICA: Visitor Arrivals And Earnings On The Increase

Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett today revealed that Jamaica’s tourism sector registered a more than six-per-cent growth in visitor arrivals for the first five months of the year.

He said “our latest figures indicate that for the period January to May 2016, total arrivals, both stopover and cruise, increased by 6.7 per cent with 1,779,066 visitors compared to the 1,667,081 visitors recorded for the same period last year.”

The minister also noted that the increase in arrivals has resulted in a rise in tourism earnings. “This growth in arrivals has resulted in an increase in tourism earnings of 4.9% as we recorded earnings of $US 1.1 billion, up from approximately $US 1 billion for the same period last year,” he added.

Bartlett was addressing the inaugural meeting of the members of the new Tourism Competitiveness Task Force on Thursday.

Bartlett said the body is crucial to the ministry’s drive to achieve its growth targets of securing 5 million visitors and generating US$ 5 billion in tourism earnings by 2021.

He urged them to build on the achievements of the tourism sector to further enhance the industry’s competitiveness and fuel growth in visitor arrivals and earnings.

In issuing his charge to the new task force, which is chaired by hotelier Josef Forstmayr, Bartlett encouraged them to take decisive steps to enhance the experience persons will have at our ports of entry.

“I want this task force to help to guide the Ministry in our efforts to deliver on the promise to visitors of an exceptional experience in Jamaica, which is destination assurance. Key to this process is dealing with the issue of travel facilitation, addressing visa and air connectivity issues, streamlining airport procedures and enhancing the skills of the people of the ground,” the minister said.

The other members of the task force include Jennifer Griffith, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Tourism; Godfrey Dyer, Chairman, Tourism Enhancement Fund; Paul Pennicook, Director of Tourism; Major General Stewart Saunders, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of National Security; Jennifer McDonald, CEO, Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency; Omar Robinson, President, Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association; Audley Deidrick, President, Airports Authority of Jamaica & NMIA; Dr Rafael Echevarne, CEO, MBJ Airport Ltd; Major Richard Reese, Commissioner of Customs; a representative from the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport.