As Jamaica ends what must have been their best tourism summer in history, the tourist projections for the fall should continue their winning streak with American travelers. the country is now expecting an increase of 140,000 additional seats in scheduled air capacity between September and December.
Hon. Edmund Bartlett, Minister of Tourism, Jamaica, said, “This added capacity is a testament to the appeal of the island’s tourism product as well as the excellent relationships we enjoy with our U.S. airline partners. They clearly have confidence that we can fill these seats as we are now surpassing 2019 stopover arrivals and on track for a full recovery in those annual figures for 2023.”
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Jamaica secured 1.4 million seats this summer, a 16 percent jump over the all-time record in 2019. American travelers account for nearly 75 percent of all visitors to the island.
Director of Tourism, Jamaica Tourist Board, Donovan White, says Jamaica is experiencing a surge in business travel, which is on its way back to pre-COVID levels.
He informed that the country’s meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE) sector is on the rise.
MICE tourism refers to business-related events that are planned, and professionals from the related sector are brought together in a hospitality setting.
Speaking at the Caribbean Meeting and Incentive Travel Exchange (CMITE) Breakfast held at the Secrets Wild Orchid Resort in Montego Bay, St. James, on Tuesday (August 22), Mr. White noted that “business is back, and in-person events are once again being well attended”.
“We here in Jamaica could not be more pleased, as group business has long been a key component of our strategy for the development and growth of the island’s tourism product,” he stated.
The Director of Tourism pointed out that while MICE travel is not measured by percentages due to the varied sizes of the groups and the dynamic nature of meetings, tourism stakeholders have been reporting bookings for large groups, several months ahead of time.
“All our partners are beginning to report that they are [seeing] in their reservations, six months, 12 months, and 18 months ahead for large groups coming back to Jamaica, and that is an extremely good sign for our forecasting ability of arrivals to the destination,” he stated.
The CMITE meetings, which were hosted by wellness brand Questex on the island, connects North American meeting planners and incentive buyers with leading Caribbean and Mexico-based suppliers to foster meaningful industry relationships.
While noting that the island is pleased to have been chosen to host CMITE for the third time, Mr. White outlined that Jamaica has put in the work to ensure that it could once again host meetings of this nature.
“It’s the kind of market that’s built on a lot of sensitivity, so we’ve worked very hard over the last two and a half to three years since COVID, to rebuild Jamaica’s appetite for business travel, meetings, and conventions,” he pointed out.
“Our hotels have adequate meeting spaces, and our partners who are interested in this segment of the market have ensured that their hotels have the necessary facilities to accommodate small, medium, and even 600-person groups,” he added.
The objective of the CMITE series of meetings is to promote Jamaica as a warm-weather destination of choice with the personnel, infrastructure, and strong cultural appeal that will result in reservations for meeting and incentive groups.
More than 40 buyers and planners are participating in the meetings, which are being held from August 21 to 24.
