After three consecutive quarters of downturn last year, Jamaica’s tourism sector — long considered the backbone of the economy — is once again growing and Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett is optimistic about maintaining the upward trend, with eyes fixed on achieving double-digit growth in upcoming quarters.

“We’re back on the growth path and that is going to continue. We’re now back to where we were in 2023, which was a powerful year of growth for us,” the minister said on Thursday during his curtain-raiser speech at the 11th staging of the annual Christmas in July trade show being held at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel in Kingston.

Despite setbacks caused by Hurricane Beryl, global geopolitical tensions, and travel advisories, the minister expressed confidence in the resilience of the tourism industry. “I am happy to see that we’re back to growth. The economy grew by 1.1 per cent during the first quarter of this year and tourism by almost two per cent and we’ll be continuing the growth,” he said.

Tourism-related activities, now categorised by the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (Statin) under its new “Accommodation & Food Services Activities” sub-sector — formerly ‘Hotels and Restaurants’ — recorded growth of 1.2 per cent during the first three months of 2024. This was driven by increased demand for products and services in one of the country’s most robust industries.

Having bounced back from a period of slowed activity caused by reduced stopover arrivals and adverse travel advisories, Bartlett declared that the industry is now in full recovery.

“I want to re-emphasise that growth is what we are about and so we’re never satisfied with being flat or having negative growth. When we are negative we’re uneasy, as our aim is always to be growing, irrespective of whatever may be happening in the world,” he said.

Securing approximately 2.3 million visitors and $2.4 billion in earnings to date, the minister believes this firmly puts the country back on track to meeting his ministry’s ambitious 5x5x5 goal through which it seeks to achieve US$5 billion in tourism earnings and five million tourist arrivals within a five-year period ending this 2025/26 fiscal year.

“We’re now about halfway through the year, and so I think we are on track. In this current period we’re also looking to pick up on the cruise side — we’re now at about 750,000 and before the year ends, we could probably add another 600,000 or more. As such, we remain optimistic about reaching our 5x5x5 goal by March 31, 2026. We’re always vulnerable to shocks but we remain optimistic given the resilience of tourism. I think we will be able to sustain this first-quarter growth and with the current quarter already looking good, I’ve also indicated that we could see double-digit growth at the end of July,” he further told the Jamaica Observer during a follow-up interview.

Since its launch in 2014, the Christmas in July trade show has generated over $1 billion in commerce. This year’s two-day event, running July 10–11, features 180 exhibitors, including 74 returning artisans and 106 new participants.

“This event is not just about showcasing creativity,” Bartlett said. “It highlights the new demand created by the growth in tourism. With almost three million stopover arrivals — nearly equivalent to our population — there’s a huge need for locally made goods and services.”

He stressed that if local producers fail to meet this demand, imported alternatives will fill the gap, leading to economic leakage. “Right now, we retain about 40 cents of every tourism dollar we earn — up from 25 cents in previous years. We want that number to further grow and we also want the money to stay here.”

Bartlett, further speaking of plans now underway to introduce new legislation and regulatory frameworks, said these will aim to support long-term contracts between local manufacturers and the tourism industry.

“As we shift toward luxury and higher-end tourism, the demand for authentic Jamaican products will only get more and more and as such, we will be implementing a ‘local first’ policy wherein Jamaicans will be prioritised as suppliers, unless a product is not available locally,” he further noted as he encouraged this year’s participants to use Christmas in July not only as an exhibition, but as a launchpad for scaling their operations.

“I urge all entrepreneurs to use this event as a stepping stone to higher levels of production and greater levels of productivity,” he closed.

BARTLETT…we’re back on the growth path and that is going to continue