Bartlett says tourism growth figures on track
Edmund Bartlett yesterday said that Jamaica’s tourism numbers for the first quarter of 2018 have hit new records.
Bartlett, the tourism minister, was responding to concerns raised by the Opposition People’s National Party (PNP) spokesman on tourism Dr Wykeham McNeill about “a declining rate of growth in stopover arrivals”.
McNeill claimed that the rate of growth in stopover arrivals started to decline in December, and “has dipped significantly” since a state of public emergency was implemented in St James in January.
McNeill said he was calling on the minister “to give a fulsome update to the country on what is the real state of affairs in the industry”.
However, Bartlett said that despite a record-breaking 2017, Jamaica’s tourism numbers for the first quarter of the year have hit new records.
“Total stopover and cruise passenger arrivals stood at approximately 1.3 million for the first quarter of 2018 (January to March), that is over 80,000 more tourists than the corresponding period last year or 6.6 per cent,” Bartlett said.
“Provisional data show that the month of March also recorded a whopping 11.3 per cent increase in stopover arrivals over the same month last year. Of note also is that for the period, gross estimated foreign exchange earnings stood at US$821.2 million, representing an increase of eight per cent.
“These figures come on the heels of last year’s record growth in arrivals which eclipsed the total increase of the previous four years, 2012-2015, with total arrivals of approximately 4.3 million and foreign exchange earnings reaching approximately US$3 billion,” Bartlett said.
He added that the increased figures are as a result of “a dynamic and multifaceted stakeholder engagement campaign” cutting across Jamaica’s main markets — the USA, Canada, and Europe — by the tourism team and its “first-rate” partners in the private sector.
“We have, over the last several months and weeks, before and after the implementation of enhanced security measures in St James, met with major industry players to reassure the world that Jamaica is open for business and is a first-class destination,” Bartlett said.
“This continued growth in arrivals also indicates that we are well on our way of surpassing our five million annual visitor arrivals target before 2021 under my ‘5x5x5’ growth strategy. The consistent increase in arrivals is also proof that our tourism product remains robust and highly sought-after by tourists worldwide,” Bartlett added.
He said that the ministry intends to transform the island’s tourism sector and has implemented a growth plan to attract five million visitors by 2021; generate US$5 billion in tourism earnings; increase the total direct jobs to 125,000; and add 15,000 new hotel rooms.
According to Bartlett’s senior advisor and strategist, Delano Seiveright, the multifaceted stakeholder engagement campaign will continue later this month, with visits to several key South American markets including Argentina, Chile, Peru and Colombia.
“No stone is being left unturned in our team’s zeal to achieve our targets. Stopover arrivals from Latin America grew by over 16 per cent last year alone and much more growth is in the works,” Seiveright said.