By Alexander Britell
After several years of middling stayover arrival numbers, Jamaica is showing strong growth so far in 2017, according to the latest numbers released by the Jamaica Tourist Board.
Jamaica has reported 1.183 million stayover tourists in the first half of 2017, a 4.3 percent increase compared to the first six months of 2016.
But that doesn’t tell the whole story.
Indeed, after an almost flat first quarter, Jamaica has surged in the summer months, recording year-over-year monthly increases of 9.1 percent, 8.2 percent and 8.8 percent in April, May and June respectively.
Luxury properties like Round Hill remain a major draw for travelers.
The increase was led in large part by Canada, the country’s second-largest source market, which saw a 7.1 percent increase in visitors to Jamaica this year, while the U.S. market, the island’s bread and butter, showed a 3.1 percent jump.
The United Kingdom also posted a 5.7 percent increase in visits to Jamaica.
The average stayover tourist in Jamaica stayed for 8.4 nights, according to the data from the Tourist Board.
Montego Bay remained the most popular destination within Jamaica, accounting for 71,0001 tourists, followed by Ocho Rios at 51,652 and Negril at 39,192.
On the cruise side, Jamaica reported 978,684 cruise passenger arrivals in the first half, a 3 percent increase over 2016.
— Caribbean Journal staff