Jamaica is seeing a significant jump in flight bookings, particularly out of the United States, which is Jamaica’s biggest source market.

The news is not surprising considering the fact that the island has seen several airlines returning and new ones flying to the destination, which this newspaper has reported on in recent times.

A new report from CheapOair on US traveller trends has confirmed the increased bookings.

The online travel agency’s report showed that The Bahamas and Jamaica have seen among the biggest increases in airline ticket bookings of any international destination.

Overall, American travellers almost doubled bookings to foreign destinations in April compared to January, the company said.

Figures showed to Sunday Finance indicates that Jamaica has seen a 143 per cent jump in flight bookings in April compared with January. The hike in bookings has been attributed to the fact that vaccinations are continuing to be rolled out across the USA, so the American consumer is becoming more confident where travel is concerned.

“This, coupled with the stringent hygiene protocols put in place by airlines and airports worldwide, is fuelling rising interest in booking airline tickets to global destinations,” said Glenn Cusano, co-chief executive officer and chief financial officer of Fareportal, the parent company of CheapOair and One Travel.

The Bahamas saw a 203 per cent increase in flight bookings in April, while the Dominican Republic saw a 134 per cent increase in its bookings.

More American airlines have added Jamaica to their route. The latest carrier to do so was the low-cost airline Frontier.

Frontier is set to launch new flights into Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, starting on May 28 from Miami, operating three weekly services on Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays.

The expansion of American flights into Jamaica is welcome news to the tourism sector, which is seeking to recover strongly from the downturn in passenger arrivals caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Since the start of the year there has been a steady increase in visitor arrivals, which should grow even further with new airlines coming to the tourism destination.