KINGSTON, Jamaica— Jamaica’s tourism industry is on track to realise its ‘5x5x5’ growth strategy of five million visitors and earnings of US$5 billion by 2025, said Tourism Minister, Edmund Bartlett.

He made the disclosure while delivering the keynote address during Friday’s Destination Jamaica Events Seminar at the Courtleigh Auditorium in Kingston.

“We are just rounding off four million visitors this year and we are making US$4.1 billion in earnings. We’re getting 2,000 more rooms next year, and we think that will bring us a growth of, perhaps, two to three per cent, just by virtue of having that additional inventory, and will bring revenue in the region of some US$300 million to US$400 million,” he stated.

Noting the five networks for growth – gastronomy, entertainment and culture, shopping, education, and health and wellness – Bartlett said 42 per cent of visitors’ expenditure is on food.

The minister said “the network is what creates experiences for the visitor to consume”.

Against this background he encouraged event planners and entrepreneurs to create and execute innovative engagements, products and services that are relevant, attractive, appropriate, desirable and affordable, to attract more visitors to Jamaica.

“We are ready for fresh, new ideas that are going to take us to another dimension… ideas that are responsive to the mood and changes that are taking place and anticipating the changes to come,” Bartlett said.

Meanwhile, Director of Tourism, Donovan White, highlighted that there is no shortage of demand for destination Jamaica.

“There’s an opportunity for every Jamaican to create more businesses that support and or supply products and services to the tourism industry. The data proves that events are a major pull to the destination. Successful events work and benefits from them spawn our communities and individuals in our business trade,” he said.

White noted that since the COVID-19 pandemic, travellers have been demanding authentic experiences.

“Events are good for Jamaica and Jamaica is good for events. We at [the] Jamaica Tourist Board are keenly aware of the relevance and impact of events on the destination today. We hold this view because we understand the impact they create on media attention, on visitor demand profiling and the awareness it builds in our markets,” White explained.

“It helps us to build markets, especially new markets, and more importantly, it positions destination Jamaica in one of our most important pillars and that’s culture and entertainment,” he continued.

The seminar was aimed at— among other things— equipping planners with the tools to execute world-class events, educating stakeholders on the role of the JTB, creating awareness of the entity’s requirements for providing sponsorship and endorsement for an event, sharing best practices and providing networking opportunities.