SAN JUAN — Jamaica’s road to recovery has reach new heights, with news from Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett that the destination has earned US$5.7 billion since reopening its borders in June 2020.

The news follows Jamaica’s best summer ever in terms of arrivals figures; for the summer period, the island recorded over 224,000 stopover arrivals in June, surpassing the 222,000 arrivals in June 2019.

Since June 2020, Jamaica has welcomed approximately 5,173,000 visitors, including stopover arrivals and cruise passengers.

“These phenomenal earnings and arrivals figures are truly a testament to the hard work of my Ministry, its public bodies and our many stakeholders and partners,” said Minister Bartlett. “Through our thought leadership, Jamaica was able to reopen its borders at the height of the pandemic and remain open to allow visitors to travel to the island safely and seamlessly.”

The Minister, who made the announcement at the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association’s Travel Marketplace in San Juan, Puerto Rico, added that Jamaica’s strong recovery is happening despite the disruptions caused by the pandemic, namely flight cancellations and supply chain issues.

“Tourism is a key driver in the overall economic recovery for Jamaica and these numbers augur well for the economy, lives and livelihoods. To have already earned $5.7 billion is huge given he major disruption caused by the pandemic,” added the Minister.

Jamaica was one of the first destinations to reopen amid the global pandemic, with WTTC-approved ‘resilient corridors’ and robust health and safety protocols. For more information go to www.visitjamaica.com.