Jamaica has been one of the fastest-growing tourism destinations in the Caribbean since the pandemic, a trend that has strengthened in 2023. Now, the island’s tourism officials say they are expecting another “surge” for the upcoming winter season. 

Jamaica has secured 1.05 million airline seats for the upcoming winter season out of the US market alone, according to Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett. That total represents about 6,000 flights from the United States. 

“This surge in airlift represents an increase of 13 percent over winter 2022/2023, where we recorded a whopping 923,000 airline seats,” Bartlett said. 

“To date, ten airlines have some 5,914 flights booked out of key US gateways to the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay and Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston between January and April 2024, adding to the flurry expected over the 2023 Christmas holiday period,” Minister Bartlett explained.

American Airlines leads the way with 305,436 seats booked on 1,727 flights; JetBlue has 242,347 seats on 1,434 flights; and Delta is third with 205,776 seats  on 1,119 flights. 

So how is Jamaica doing so far in 2023? 

Bartlett said the island has already reported approximately 2.5 million stopover visitors this year, an 18 percent jump over the same period in 2022. 

That is also a 10 percent increase over the pre-pandemic period in 2019. 

“If we continue on this impressive growth trajectory, we will be on track to meet our new projections of 4 million visitors and foreign exchange earnings of US$4.1 billion by year end,” he said.