Jamaica saw 55,000 tourists between July 4 and July 10, suggesting that the island’s tourism sector is rebounding from Hurricane Beryl.

According to a press statement by Jamaica Tourism Board, while there were no tourist arrivals on July 2 and 3. Tourism Minister of Jamaica Edmund Bartlett said that the island started receiving visitors again on July 4 and has continued ever since.

edmund bartlett

“That is what resilience is about where you can say. As 80 pc of our resources is intact, so you can come, and they came because they have confidence in the promise that we make, because of the integrity of that promise,” he says.

Bartlett, who made the disclosure during his address at the opening ceremony of the Christmas in July trade show on July 11, says that the sustainability plan for the industry is predicated on several key strategies.

This includes training and development, upskilling and broadening the scope of the production of authentic Jamaican goods and services, expanded credit and debt arrangements and marketing and networking of entrepreneurs operating within the sector.

Bartlett adds that Jamaica’s long history of attracting record numbers of visitors to the island goes beyond its natural resources and notes that the artisanal community is a valuable part of the island’s tourism product.

Bartlett emphasised that small and medium-sized enterprises in the tourism ecosystem are critical drivers of the future of the industry.

“I want to thank all of you for the work that you have done with us in 10 years to make Christmas in July the exciting and expanded opportunity that is now here for our small and medium enterprises,” he said.

Christmas in July is a collaborative effort of the Tourism Linkages Network, a division of the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), and its partners, the Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC), the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA), Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO) and the Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters Association (JMEA).