He noted that since the reopening of Jamaica’s borders to international travel in June 2020, “this is the highest number of visitors to arrive at the Sangster International Airport in any single day since COVID-19 devastated the tourism industry worldwide and grounded international flights.”
Minister Bartlett said airlines have been showing renewed interest in flying to Jamaica and last week, in the wake of the Government lifting some COVID-related restrictions for visitors, the numbers have been rising steadily.
“We are not yet into the traditional high season but there is an eagerness by travelers to get away from their restricted environments of the past 18 months and the fact that Jamaica has not lost its appeal, we are seeing the bookings moving upwards at a welcome rate,” the tourism minister said.
Regarding airlines, new gateways to Jamaica are being added to the existing slate. Since the beginning of November, Jamaica has welcomed United States (US)-based Frontier Airlines, which commenced flights from Atlanta, Georgia, and Orlando, Florida; Eurowings Discover coming out of Frankfurt, Germany; American Airlines’ new service out of Philadelphia; and the return of Air Transat out of Canada.
Meanwhile, Regional Director of Tourism at the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), Odette Dyer noted there is growing interest among travel agents about Jamaica’s preparedness in the wake of COVID-19. “We had some large familiarization groups last week, coinciding with several on-island activities, including the Jamaica Invitational Pro-Am in Montego Bay, so they were able to leave knowing that we are fully prepared,” she said.
