KINGSTON, Jamaica — Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett is projecting that Jamaica will welcome 4.3 million visitors in 2025 — a 2.7 per cent increase over 2024.

At the same time, Bartlett is projecting earnings of US$4.6 billion, representing growth of 7.1 per cent year-on-year.

“For the upcoming winter 2025/26 season, stopover arrivals are expected to increase by 6.9 per cent, cruise arrivals by 24.3 per cent, and gross earnings by eight per cent, reaching US$1.7 billion,” said Bartlett.

He was speaking Tuesday in the House of Representatives, where he gave an update on Jamaica’s performance, the evolution of the country’s global marketing strategy and the introduction of the Local First Policy.

Bartlett described Local First as “a bold, home-grown framework designed to make every Jamaican the first beneficiary of our tourism success”.

“With this trajectory, Jamaica is firmly on course to achieve our 5x5x5 vision — five million visitors and US$5 billion in earnings within five years — and we are now setting our sights on the 5x8x10 strategy— eight million visitors and US$10 billion in earnings by 2030,” said Bartlett.

He added that, “This vision reflects our confidence not just in numbers, but in people — in the creativity, hospitality and resilience that define Brand Jamaica.”

When questioned by Opposition Leader Mark Golding about whether the 5x5x5 will be met this year, given that the five-year target was set in 2020, the tourism minister said there was a difference in calendar and fiscal year and assured that the target will be met by the end of the fiscal year in March 2026.

He told the House that Jamaica’s marketing focus is expanding beyond traditional markets to embrace new frontiers in Latin America, the Middle East, and Asia, supported by enhanced airlift, digital innovation and strategic partnerships that ensure Jamaica remains top of mind for global travellers.

He explained that Local First was Jamaica’s new policy direction for inclusive growth.

“As Jamaica expands globally, we must ensure that the benefits of tourism remain local. To this end, the Ministry of Tourism is establishing the Local First Policy — the new direction for tourism development, built on the extraordinary success of the Tourism Linkages Network (TLN),” Bartlett said.

He said that for over a decade, TLN has proven that tourism can drive real, measurable local development.

“Programmes such as Christmas in July, which has generated over J$200 million in sales for Jamaican producers; and the Agri-Linkages Exchange (ALEX) online platform, which has connected hundreds of farmers directly to hotels and has traded over $1 billion at the end of 2024.”

He also pointed to the establishment of artisan villages at Falmouth, innovative gastronomy initiatives and business expos, which he said have all shown how tourism can multiply opportunities across the economy.

“Building on these successes, Local First elevates this model from a programme to a national policy framework. It enshrines the principle that Jamaican farmers, artisans, manufacturers, transport operators, entertainers, and micro-entrepreneurs must have the first opportunity to supply hotels, attractions and tourism enterprises,” Bartlett said.