By the Caribbean Journal staff

Jamaica set another record for overall visitor arrivals in 2018, according to the country’s Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett.

The island welcomed 4.31 million combined cruise and stayover visitors last year, a new record for the island.

“This represents the second year in a row that Jamaica has had more than 4.3 million visitors in a single year,” Bartlett said.

That included an 8.6 percent increase in tourism earnings, rising from $3 billion USD to $3.3 billion USD last year.

According to projections, by the end of this winter season Jamaica will have earned an additional $1 billion in tourism revenue since 2016.

“This is a powerful performance because what it means is that we would’ve earned US$1 billion in three years when it took us 40 years to earn the first billion and 17 years to earn the second billion,” he said.

That means more than $1 billion in circulation across Jamaica coming directly from tourism, the Minister said.

“Tourism is growing at a phenomenal rate,” he said. “The impact of this is seen in the growth of the small and medium enterprises across Jamaica. The dollar is being retained because more and more of our people are supplying against the demands of the industry.”

— CJ