American travelers are helping to fuel the tourism rebound in Jamaica, officials said this week. 

That increased demand is leading to an expansion in airlift to the Caribbean island. 

That includes American Airlines, which will be up-gauging its aircraft on Montego Bay flights from Miami, Philadelphia and Dallas-Fort Worth, with new wide-bodied 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft on those routes. 

Southwest Airlines is also increasing its flight service to Jamaica, with the carrier now very close to its pre-pandemic lift to Jamaica. 

The numbers are borne out in the island’s hotel performance; travel giant Expedia says room night passenger growth metrics are exceeding the same period in 2019, before the pandemic. 

“American, Southwest and Expedia are all critical partners for Jamaica’s tourism sector, and we look forward to welcoming many more visitors in the near future,” said Jamaica Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett. “Confidence in growth for Jamaica’s tourism remains strong and we will maintain our world-class Jamaica CARES health and safety protocols, including our Resilient Corridors, to ensure a robust winter.” 

For more on how to visit Jamaica, see here. 

— CJ