KINGSTON, Jamaica (CMC) – Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett says the performance of the tourism sector, as outlined in the latest report by the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) highlights the fact that tourism is driving the island’s post-COVID-19 economic recovery.

Bartlett was speaking earlier this week as he welcomed the PIOJ’s report which indicates that the tourism sector has contributed significantly to the country’s economic growth in the second quarter of the year.

In its report, the PIOJ announced that the economy grew by 5.7 per cent during the April to June quarter of 2022, compared with the same period in 2021, with the tourism and hospitality sector contributing substantially.

The PIOJ reported that the real value added for Hotels & Restaurants grew by an estimated 55.4 per cent, reflecting a sharp increase in visitor arrivals from all main source markets, and that for April–May 2022 total Foreign National arrivals was 399,310 visitors, representing an increase of 110 per cent relative to the corresponding period in 2021.

According to Bartlett, “the figures from the PIOJ highlight the fact that the tourism industry is driving Jamaica’s post-COVID-19 economic recovery,” adding that “the results are a clear indication of the resilience of the sector, which is rebounding steadily.”

As he embraced the news, Bartlett met with representatives of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) and other industry stakeholders, including members of the Tourism Recovery Task Force, on Friday for a mid-year review of the sector.

It was also stated that visitor spend is currently outpacing 2019 Levels.

According to Jamaica Tourist Board figures, length of stay is back to the 2019 levels of 7.9 nights and more importantly the Average Spend per Visitor has increased from US$168 per night to US$182 per person per night.

“This simply means that the tourism sector is generating more foreign exchange per visitor. So, there is more money circulating in the wider economy and this benefits various players in the industry, such as attractions, the transportation sub-sector and artisans, thereby creating greater economic impact,” the tourism minister said.

During the meeting, it was highlighted that since reopening in June 2020, Jamaica has welcomed over 3.5 million (3,556,394) visitors as at July 2022. Likewise, year-to-date the island has welcomed over 1.7 million visitors (1,714,956), an increase of 139.4 per cent over the same period in 2021.

There was also an estimated increase of 10 per cent in visitor arrivals for July 2022 compared to the same period in 2019.

With increased arrivals month-over-month, Bartlett said “we remain optimistic that our performance figures will return to 2019 pre-COVID record levels by 2023.”