MONTEGO BAY, St James — Head of Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) Robin Russell is optimistic about how the sector will perform this year, and he anticipates that the good fortune will not just be confined to big players.

His confidence is based on data that show healthy forward bookings.

“I see the numbers translating to almost as far as a very good summer. We’re optimistic that, if all holds, we should have a very good year. We are looking forward to another busy year,” Russell told the Jamaica Observer.

He explained that the JHTA will continue its efforts to ensure that smaller players get a share of the earnings and more of the tourism dollar remains in Jamaica.

“We are finally seeing some benefits to where locals can benefit from tourism,” the JHTA head said.

“More agriculture, more craft items, more restaurants in areas where tourists can venture, more entertainment, more attractions, we’re happy with what we are seeing,” he added.

According to the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), there has been an unprecedented surge in tourism with 1.6 million airline seats secured for the winter season. The bulk of those, 1.3 million, are expected to be leisure travellers, which is 12.8 per cent higher than winter 2023.

“We are very happy for the season we are having so far. We still have a long way to go but we are definitely happy with what we are seeing in terms of the numbers,” Russell remarked.

He pointed to positives such as the boost Kingston received from Vybz Kartel’s Freedom Street concert.

“All Kingston hotels were definitely busy for that period — including home-stays, Airbnb-style properties. Also people stayed as far as Ocho Rios and Montego Bay to go to the show,” said Russell.

He also cited recent reports that there has been a fall in major crimes.

“We’ve all recognised that one of the greatest deterrents to tourism, and us really seeing the full potential of not only tourism but Jamaica as whole, has been crime. With these numbers coming down we definitely encourage it, we definitely are grateful for it,” Russell said.

“We will see an increase in [tourism] numbers if this trend continues,” he predicted.