ST JAMES, Jamaica — Jamaica has welcomed an impressive 1.7 million visitors within the first five months of this year, which saw both stopover and cruise passenger arrivals recording increases over the corresponding period last year.

A release from the Ministry of Tourism reveals that based on preliminary data, the island recorded 1,016,185 stopover arrivals and over 700,000 cruise passengers as early as May 5 and 7 respectively, earning roughly US$1.8 billion in revenue.

This represents a 4.6 per cent increase for stopover arrivals and 23 per cent increase for cruise passengers moving from 581,822 to 713,983 over 2023.

Speaking during his opening presentation of the 2024/2025 Sectoral Debate in Parliament, Minister Bartlett said despite the ongoing challenges facing the global cruise industry,  local cruise shipping recorded 1.26 million arrivals in 2023 which was 48.3 per cent above 2022 figures.

“I am pleased to say that the expectation is that the 2024/25 vessel arrivals and passenger count will equal or exceed those in the 2023/24 fiscal year despite the challenges in the sector,” Bartlett stated.

He disclosed that Jamaica will host the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association’s (FCCA) 2024 Platinum Member Cruise Summit in June. The tourism minister explained that this high-profile event presents an opportunity to showcase Jamaica’s advancements in cruise infrastructure and world-class attractions to key decision-makers in the global cruise industry.