Kingston, Jamaica – Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism and Entertainment, the Hon. Dr. Wykeham McNeill has revealed that stopover visitor arrivals are showing a 6.4% increase for the period May 1 to August 7, 2012 over the same period last year. This represents more than 32,000 additional arrivals.
In outlining the numbers the Minister explained that “based on preliminary figures stopover arrivals for the May 1 to August 7 period amounted to 539,957. This compares very favourably to the figures for the same period in 2011 when there were 507,298 stopover arrivals.” Citing that this represents an increase of 32,659 additional visitors Minister McNeill expressed pleasure in the fact that the industry continues to register growth amid harsh economic conditions.
He underscored that his Ministry remains focused on ensuring that the tourism sector drives growth within the Jamaican economy, adding that it is imperative that the sector continues to grow. He said, “this increase will certainly allow players in the industry to remain optimistic that the tourism sector is poised for further growth in 2012 and will provide a welcome boost to the economy.”
Minister McNeill noted that one of the key factors contributing to the growth seen this year is “superb, aggressive marketing, through which we have been able to drive the inflow of visitors to the island.” He added that “our promotional team continues to work in the traditional and emerging markets as we seek to increase our share in our main source markets, while opening up new doors.”
