Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett during his presentation to Jamaica’s top selling Travel Advisors in Philadelphia on Saturday April 13, 2024.
NEW YORK – Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett has emphasized the critical role that travel advisors play in advancing the growth of Jamaica’s tourism. Speaking at a special luncheon to honour top travel advisors in Northeast America on April 13, the Minister reflected on the effort and dedication of these advisors during the pandemic.
Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett during his presentation to Jamaica’s top selling Travel Advisors in Philadelphia on Saturday April 13, 2024.
“We all remember the day planes stopped flying, ships stopped sailing and countries closed their borders. We did not know what the next day would hold but through data, innovation and public private sector partnerships, Jamaica was able to open its borders and remained open. Our valued travel advisors were first out the blocks, selling the destination, but more importantly our message of destination assurance to their clients,” said Minister Bartlett.
Jamaica opened its borders on June 15, 2020, through its robust health and safety protocols and one of a kind resilient corridor that had infrastructure in place to allow for a safe and seamless visitor experience during the pandemic.
“The country that made Jamaica recover is the United States which never closed its borders and within a year of the destination’s reopening, we welcomed one million visitors, 800 thousand of which came from the United States.
And of the 4.1 million visitors we welcomed last year, it is important to note that 3 million of them are from the United States, 2.2 million stopovers and the rest being cruise visitors. This impressive figure could not have been achieved without our travel advisors who continue to champion brand Jamaica and are dedicated to the destination,” added Minister Bartlett.
Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett, (C) pauses for a photo opportunity with Victoria Harper, District Sales Manager-Northeast USA (L of Minister Bartlett), Carey Dennis, Business Development Officer – Northeast USA (R of Minister Bartlett), Fiona Fennell, Public Relations and Communications Manager, Jamaica Tourist Board, (back 3rd L) and the top Travel Advisors in the Northeast USA.
Statistics show that between 2020 to now, the market share of US visitors to Jamaica has increased from 63% to approximately 74%.
“In 2019, Jamaica welcomed roughly 1.6 million stopover US visitors which means since COVID, we have increased that number by 600 thousand. This speaks to the demand for the destination, confidence from the US market and the efforts of our tourism partners like our travel advisors,” said Minister Bartlett.
