Above: the Ian Fleming villa at Jamaica’s Goldeneye

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Tourism-related jobs in the Jamaican economy have increased by 3,000 over the past three years, with another 21,648 potentially on the way through 2013, according to the Ministry of Tourism.

Jobs in the accommodation sector have risen from 33,598 in 2006 to 37,018 in 2010, with overall employment in the sector at around 90,000, Tourism Minister Ed Bartlett said.

“When you really examine it, tourism impacts 10 percent of the population in terms of employment,” Bartlett said. “That represents 30 percent of the workforce.”

Bartlett pointed to several areas of growth, including the Ian Fleming International Airport in St Mary and the expansion of the Dolphin Cove attraction in Lucea.

Also factoring in were new airlift markets, including Latin America and Europe, which Bartlett discussed with Caribbean Journal over the summer.

Earlier, Bartlett said visitors were also projected to increase for the winter 2012 season.