The island’s tourism authorities on Thursday announced the launch of a new series of charter flights from Ecuador to Jamaica that should increase visitor traffic from that South American country, as part of an ongoing strategy to enhance air connectivity across Latin America.

According to Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), 10 direct charter flights, scheduled for July and August 2025, are expected to bring more than 1,000 Ecuadorian travellers to Jamaica.

“Each package includes four-night stays, targeting Ecuador’s growing family and leisure travel segments. This initiative reaffirms Jamaica’s commitment to the Ecuadorian market and builds on a history of successful collaborations with Maxitravel, which previously operated charter programmes to the island between 2008 and 2013,” JTB said in a news release.

“This latest initiative with Maxitravel is a testament to the strong, long-term partnership we have cultivated over the years,” the release quotes Director of Tourism Donovan White.

“Reactivating direct air service from Ecuador is a strategic move that supports our broader airlift goals in Latin America, making Jamaica more accessible to an emerging market with significant growth potential,” White added.

Maxitravel, Ecuador’s leading charter tour operator, has developed a comprehensive promotional campaign across both trade and consumer channels to ensure the success of this operation, contributing meaningfully to Jamaica’s tourism economy and supporting visitor arrivals during the summer months, the JTB said.

“This collaboration is aligned with the JTB’s wider efforts to diversify source markets, strengthen ties within Latin America, and drive sustainable tourism growth through strategic airlift development. By facilitating greater connectivity and leveraging trusted partnerships, Jamaica continues to position itself as a preferred Caribbean destination for Latin American travellers,” the tourism promotions and marketing agency said.

That point was reiterated by Tourism Minister Ed Bartlett who said the charter flights align with the island’s “strategic goal of attracting more visitors from this lucrative Latin American market”.

He said that while they anticipate more arrivals and earnings for the country, the charter service “highlights the confidence that our airline partners have in the destination”.

According to the JTB, in 2024 visitor arrivals from Ecuador registered a 7.6 per cent increase compared to 2023.

While the data did not include raw numbers, the JTB’s travel statistics for 2023 revealed that stopover arrivals from the Latin American region moved from 22,304 in 2022 to 31,152 in 2023, an increase of 39.7 per cent.

That number was, however, 19.9 per cent lower than in 2019, when the highest number of 38,885 arrivals was recorded, the JTB said.