Tuesday, June 09, 2015
TOURISM and Entertainment Minister Dr Wykeham McNeill says Jamaica recorded a five per cent increase in overall visitor arrivals for the 2014/15 winter tourist season over the corresponding period last year.
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| MCNEILL ... wants a year-round tourist season without the traditional breaks. |
Speaking at the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association's (JHTA) 54th annual general meeting and convention at Hilton Rose Hall Resort and Spa in Montego Bay on Saturday, Dr McNeill said Jamaica recorded a 9.1 per cent increase in stopover arrivals from the United States, with 445,000 visitors coming from that country between January and April 2015.
This was 37,000 more than the corresponding period in 2014.
The minister said 61,670 visitors arrived from the United Kingdom, up from 48,363 last year, representing a 27.5 per cent increase, and described this as a "marked improvement over previous years."
He further said that cruise ship passenger arrivals increased by 11.2 per cent for the period under review, compared to 2014.
The minister attributed these outturns to renewed and significant growth in the United States, Jamaica's largest source market, as well as the United Kingdom and Europe.
Dr McNeill said based on these figures, Jamaica should record a positive 2015 summer tourist season, with expectations high for the autumn, and 2015/16 winter periods, based on the continual upward trend in visitor arrivals.
"The sector continues to perform well, even with the challenges we are having with the harsh (global) economic environment. We are building on the successes of 2014, which was, again, another record year for Jamaica in which we broke the two million (stopover arrivals) mark again," he pointed out. more
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