Jamaica anticipates 4.1 million visitors and projects earnings of US$4.3 Billion for 2023

Jamaica's Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett, revealed that Jamaica is expected to surpass its growth projections for visitor arrivals and tourism earnings for the 2023 winter season.

"We are anticipating a total of 4,122,100 visitors from January to December 2023, signifying a remarkable 23.7% increase over the total number recorded in 2022," Minister Bartlett said during his update in the House of Representatives recently.

Of this anticipated number, 2,875,549 are expected to be stopover visitors, representing a substantial 16% increase over the 2022 figures.

Additionally, the country expects to welcome 1,246,551 cruise passengers, reflecting a noteworthy 46.1% surge compared to the previous year.

"This marks the 11th consecutive quarter of significant expansion since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic," Bartlett noted.

In terms of tourism earnings, Minister Bartlett projected US$4.265 billion for 2023, marking a substantial 17.8% increase over the revenue secured in 2022 and a 17.2% increase over the pre-pandemic year of 2019.

Minister Bartlett emphasized, "If we maintain this impressive growth trajectory, we are on track to surpass our projections of 4 million visitors and foreign exchange earnings of US$4.1 billion by year-end."

Furthermore, Minister Bartlett provided an estimated breakdown of these earnings, highlighting direct contributions to the government's coffers, totaling US$336 million or JA$52 billion.

These contributions include fees to the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), Departure Tax, Airport Improvement Fee, Airline Passenger Levy, Passenger fees, and the Guest Accommodation Room Tax (GART).

During his presentation, Minister Bartlett acknowledged the contributions of tourism workers, the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA), and other local and international partners.

He emphasized that the Tourism Ministry is committed to partnering with all travel and tourism stakeholders to realize sustainable growth in the industry, maintaining Jamaica's premier position as a global travel destination.