Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism, the Hon. Edmund Bartlett, at the Delta Airlines headquarters in Atlanta.
ATLANTA – As Jamaica’s tourism sector continues its robust recovery, the island has been dubbed the number one Caribbean destination for Delta Vacations in terms of growth. With over fifty years in business, Delta Vacations, a Delta Airlines company, is one of the largest vacations providers in the United States. Delta Airlines is a major airline based in the United States and is considered a legacy carrier.
The announcement, which follows the island’s double-digit growth in terms of demand and outpacing one of its major competitors, Mexico, was shared during a high-level meeting with Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism, the Hon. Edmund Bartlett, and Senior Executives of Delta Airlines at their headquarters in Atlanta on Monday, June 12.
Increase in Demand
Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism, the Hon. Edmund Bartlett, at the Delta Airlines headquarters in Atlanta.
“Jamaica’s tourism products and offerings continue to be top of mind for consumers of our major airline partners like Delta. Coming out of the pandemic, we have seen the demand for Jamaica grow as people search for the real and authentic experiences that we have to offer. It is truly gratifying to see that this growth is evident amongst our key tourism partners and will allow for further discussions for additional seats and routes,” said the Hon. Edmund Bartlett, Minister of Tourism, Jamaica.
Meeting with Delta Airlines
The meeting with senior Delta Airlines’ Senior Executives forms part of an overarching marketing blitz led by Minister Bartlett and his team, with a series of tourism engagements in the United States, the country’s largest source market for visitors.
Atlanta forms one of the major cities from which Jamaica welcomes a large influx of American visitors. It also has a large Diaspora population that usually chooses to return to Jamaica to vacation and spend in the destination. Data from Delta Airlines has also indicted that seats to Jamaica are up ten percent for the upcoming summer period, which will add to the very favorable projections that it will be the best summer on record for the destination.
Minister Bartlett, with his team of Senior Tourism officials, have also engaged with other critical stakeholders in New York and Miami to ensure the sector leverages the island’s strong predictions for summer.
Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism, the Hon. Edmund Bartlett (standing R), at the Delta Airlines headquarters in Atlanta today following a high-level meeting with the legacy carrier’s Senior Executives. Also pictured from the Jamaica Tourist Board, (standing l-r) Phillip Rose, Deputy Director of Tourism for the Americas and Latin America (Acting) and Francine Carter- Henry, Manager, Tour Operators and Airlines. Seated (from l-r) are Delta Airlines’ Senior Executives Carolyn Bowen, Project Manager, Network Analysis; Meredith Mesko, Global Partnership Marketing and Government Affairs; and Travis Hill, Manager, Network Planning.
“Our discussions with the Delta team also explored the possibility of multi-destination experiences through Delta’s long-haul routes that coincide with our target for emerging markets like India and Africa. We are looking at visitors from countries opting to make Jamaica a destination spot through these routes,” continued Minister Bartlett.
