Jamaica Tourism Arrivals Were Down 27.5 Percent in the First Quarter: Report 

Stayover tourist arrivals to Jamaica were down by 27.5 percent in the first quarter of 2026, according to data from the Caribbean Tourism Organization. 

It was the largest single decline of any destination in the Caribbean in the period. Overall, the island reported 534,652 stayover arrivals in the period, driven in large part by Hurricane Melissa.

Jamaica is still working to restore its tourism performance from the impact of Hurricane Melissa in the fall of 2025, and has thus far shown a remarkable comeback with the return of tourism infrastructure and the reopening of most hotels on the island.

It should be noted that stayover tourist arrivals are distinct from cruise passenger arrivals, although some destinations sometimes group these together into one data point. Cruise passenger arrivals saw a far smaller decline of 1.1 percent in the same period, with a total of 482,791 total cruise passenger arrivals, according to the CTO data. That was in the top half of all cruise destinations in the region. 

Generally, the Caribbean has been performing extremely well so far in 2026, with a renewed burst of visitation from the Canadian market.

That has come in large part due to a shift in Canadian travel from its traditional stronghold, Cuba, to other markets in the Caribbean, as Cuba’s tourism sector has been largely shut down. 

While several large resorts in Jamaica are still working to reopen, the vast majority of the island’s hotel stock is back and operating again. 

Second quarter numbers will be a key indicator as to whether this is simply the residual impact of Hurricane Melissa or a broader trend.