Record-Breaking Year: Jamaica Anticipates 2.5 Million Tourists

Visitor Count Climbs

The Jamaican tourism industry is expanding quickly, and the island is experiencing robust third and fourth quarters. In 2024, the combined number of visitors to Jamaica from stopovers and cruises will be around 2.5 million. This record-breaking amount is part of a larger strategy to see 5 million visitors to the island by the following year.

June also saw a good trend on the island, with tickets for foreign arrivals rising by 5% in the latter part of the month. Jamaica has recovered quickly to 2023 levels after Hurricane Beryl, indicating that the hurricane's initial impact was temporary.

Jamaica is experiencing a hotel boom that will increase travel to the island. The Jamaican government has provided an update on the status of new hotel developments, stating that US$2.5 billion worth of projects will be completed in the upcoming years. The number of rooms on the island will rise by 20,000 in five to ten years and by 2,000 this year. Jamaican tourism will increase due to this hotel industry reform, and more local jobs will be available.

Viva Wyndham, Secrets Resorts, RIU, Harmonization, Villa Janus, Amaterra Resort development at Stewart Castle, Trelawny, Palm Beach Villas, Hardrock Hotel & Casino, Princess Resort, Sandals Dunn's River Golf Resort & Spa, and UNICO 18°77° Hotel Montego Bay are some of the future properties. The opulent residential complex Pinnacle, located in Montego Bay just beyond the Rose Hall Corridor, is scheduled to open in 2028 and consists of four 28-story towers, one of which will be a dedicated hotel. The 352-room Hideaway at Royalton Blue Waters and the 753-room Riu Palace Aquarelle in Trelawney Parish, which opened in May, are recent additions to the hotel chain.

It's not just about fresh builds, either. The Grand Palladium Jamaica Resort and Spa plans to build a conference centre in addition to 900 rooms to its current 1,040 rooms. As the brand makes its debut in Jamaica, the recently acquired Holiday Inn Montego Bay, owned by Catalonia Resorts and Hotels of Spain, will add 250 units to its inventory of 510.

Jamaica also wants to provide visitors with a genuine, rural Jamaican experience. A two-story restaurant and bar with space for more than 150 patrons are planned for Dunn's River Falls and Park in Ocho Rios. To further improve patrons' experience, the restaurant will provide a prime view of the falls and overlook the cascading falls. Building a new restaurant and bar aims to enable the well-known attraction to enhance its services to meet the demanding demands of the expanding culinary tourism industry.