Montego Bay, St James — With Jamaica poised to hit its “five by five” target of five million visitors and US$5 billion in earnings by the end of 2025, Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett has already unveiled a bold new vision for the next phase of growth: attracting eight million visitors and generating US$10 billion annually within the next five years.
“The next five years we’ll have new KPIs [key performance indicators]. The goal is eight million visitors and US$10 billion in earnings — what I call eight by 10 by five,” Bartlett said Sunday night, shortly after declaring the 2025 Jamaica Product Exchange (JAPEX) officially open at Harmony Beach Park in Montego Bay.
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JAPEX, the island’s premier tourism trade show, runs from September 21 to 26 and brings together international wholesalers, tour operators, and travel agents with Jamaican suppliers.
Building on Momentum
According to ministry figures, Jamaica welcomed 4.3 million visitors last year, earning US$4.3 billion, well on track to meeting Bartlett’s “five by five” milestone. The minister, however, urged stakeholders to look beyond 2025 toward 2030, when he expects tourism to usher in “serious growth, inclusive development, and greater participation of Jamaicans in the industry’s value chain.”
“This year is going to be a seminal one for tourism,” Bartlett said. “We’re launching the widest consultations in our history — re-imagining strategies, policies, legislation, and fiscal measures to strengthen Jamaica’s place in the global marketplace.”
Preparing for a Global Surge
Bartlett highlighted forecasts of a dramatic rise in global tourism, projecting three billion travelers within the next decade. Jamaica, he stressed, must align itself to capture a greater share of this surge.
“Our job is to be right in the middle and say to the world, ‘There’s only one place to go, and that is Jamaica,’” Bartlett declared. “We must develop products around the passion points of our visitors — the very reasons they choose to travel.”
He added that JAPEX must also grow in “geometric progression,” expanding from 160 international buyers this year to 320 next year, then 640 in the years ahead.
Recognizing Leadership
Bartlett, reappointed as tourism minister under the Andrew Holness-led administration, also paid tribute to Jennifer Griffith, who has served as permanent secretary in the ministry since 2006.
“She has been with me through four terms as minister of tourism and is the longest-serving and most effective permanent secretary in Jamaica’s tourism history,” Bartlett said, commending her decades of leadership.
