Jamaica Breaks Arrivals Record for 2023 and Is Already Looking to Surpass that Number in 2024

The Jamaica Tourist Board had a record-breaking 4.1 million visitors to the country in 2023. While many islands might consider this a once-in-a-lifetime feat for their destinations, Jamaica is not nearly satisfied.

“We did this through aggressive marketing and increased destination awareness by using a 360 marketing strategy that has allowed for us to tap into various parts of the market that we typically couldn’t reach,” said Donovan White, director of tourism for Jamaica, who noted that the previous record was 3.7 million visitors.

The number of arrivals represents a 16 percent increase over last year’s numbers and a 7.5 percent increase over 2019 pre-COVID numbers. Of this total, more than half of the island’s visitors are from the U.S. at about 3 million.

“We went heavy on digital marketing, something we did partly because of COVID, but we believe that the growth we are seeing is because of strategies like this,” said White. “The growth is related to our efforts to attract the right space.”

But White is already looking to break this newly eclipsed record. White said a 42 percent repeat visitor rate with rapid growth in arrivals expected due to new airlift on the way are all evidence that his goal is on pace to be reached.

From the U.S., Jamaica will welcome new service between Miami and Ocho Rios by American Airlines starting February 24 as well as a new non-stop flight from Cleveland to Montego Bay’s Sangster International Airport by Frontier starting on March 9.

“The increase in demand for Jamaica also has a lot to do with our close relationship with our retail travel agents,” said Philip Rose, Jamaica’s deputy director of tourism for the Americas. “They are matchmakers and have been a tremendous help to Jamaica.”

In 2024, Jamaica expects to add 2,000 new rooms to its hotel stock with the debuts of the first 1,000 rooms of the 2,000-room Princess Grand Jamaica, opening in May; the 753-room Riu Palace Aquarelle, set to also debut in May; and the 450-room Unico Hotel in Montego Bay, scheduled to open late this year or early next year, said White.

Montego Bay is very suitable for Jamaica’s first Unico Hotel since Jamaica is trying to draw more wealthy millennial clientele, Unico’s main market, to Montego Bay.

Jamaica is looking to give Montego Bay a significant facelift with perhaps the biggest move coming just a few weeks ago when Jamaica unveiled the groundbreaking of The Pinnacle.

Montego Bay has always been viewed as a resort town with no commercial offerings. And now Montego Bay will attempt to be known for much more.

When LCH Developments Limited’s nearly $400 million residential resort, The Pinnacle, opens in Montego Bay around 2028 it will represent Jamaica’s largest high-rise, Edmund Bartlett, Jamaica’s minister of tourism, said during the groundbreaking event.

“Resort towns evolve all the time and the most important benefit of The Pinnacle is that it will change Montego Bay’s skyline,” said White. “We think Montego Bay will be one of the best, if not the best, cities in the Caribbean.”