KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Jamaica Tourist Board is describing 2014 as a hallmark year for Canadian visitor arrivals to the destination.

A record 419,898 Canadian visitors were tallied for 2014 (January to December), an increase of 5.2% over 2013. This figure is the highest number of annual Canadian visitor arrivals recorded to date.

“We are thrilled to report our best year ever in terms of Canadian visitors to Jamaica,” said Philip Rose, Regional Director of Canada for the Jamaica Tourist Board. “It is clear that Canadians love Jamaica and continue to visit year after year as well as tell their friends about their experience.”

Rose expressed gratitude for Jamaica’s travel partners and credited them with much of this success: “We couldn’t reach these impressive numbers without the hard work and dedication of our travel agent partners who recommend and sell Jamaica to their clients on a daily basis. In addition, we count on our tour operator, airline, resort and attractions partners to continuously deliver an unforgettable experience to visitors.”

Jamaica is easily accessible via nonstop flights from most major Canadian gateway cities.