Minister of Tourism (L) Hon Edmund Bartlett addressing the crowd of media at the Jamaica Tourist Board Stand during the World Travel Market in London on Monday. Sharing in the moment is Elizabeth Fox (R), Regional Director for the UK and Nordics, Jamaica Tourist Board.

Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett, CD, MP, has set a new target to welcome 250,000 visitors out of the United Kingdom (UK) and Ireland by 2025. This follows on the heels of Jamaica being the number one Caribbean destination among British travellers last year.

“Jamaica welcomed two hundred and thirty-four thousand UK visitors last year, making it the number destination in the Caribbean for British visitors and we plan to aggressively build on this number. With additional airlift with the upcoming Norse flight next month, along with our other long standing airline partners, I am confident we will be able to meet this target.” said Minister Bartlett. The announcement was made at an exclusive media event held at the Jamaica stand at World Travel Market on Monday 6th November in London.

The new Norse flight from Montego Bay is scheduled to begin in December, operating four times a week from London Gatwick. The island is already easily accessible from the United Kingdom through daily nonstop flights provided by Virgin Atlantic Airways departing from London Heathrow, British Airways departing from London Gatwick, and TUI departing from Birmingham, Gatwick, and Manchester.

“As a traditional market for Jamaica, the UK holds a significant place in our growth strategy and we will work to capitalise on this great achievement of being number one in the Caribbean,” said Director of Tourism, Donovan White. 

“We are truly grateful to be number one in the Caribbean for British travellers and it is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the team. With this new target, it means pushing even more to achieve this goal and retain the number one spot.” said Elizabeth Fox, Regional Director, UK and Nordics, Jamaica Tourist Board.

In the first half of 2023, Jamaica witnessed a significant increase in arrivals from the UK, with a remarkable 69.2% surge in overall tourist arrivals compared to 2021. This growth has resulted in record-breaking earnings exceeding two billion US dollars.

The island is poised to welcome over three million visitors at the end of the year with foreign exchange earnings of a whopping USD 4.2 billion.