Continuing to cement its position as one of the world’s leading tourism destinations, Jamaica is expecting an increase in scheduled air capacity from the U.S. market this September through December with approximately 140,000 additional inbound seats available across carriers.
This figure represents a 19% growth over the same period in 2022 and an 18% growth over 2019.
“This added capacity is a testament to the appeal of the island’s tourism product as well as the excellent relationships we enjoy with our U.S. airline partners,” said the Hon. Edmund Bartlett, Minister of Tourism, Jamaica. “They clearly have confidence that we can fill these seats as we are now surpassing 2019 stopover arrivals and on track for a full recovery in those annual figures for 2023.”
The most significant increases in inbound seats year-over-year for the fall period can be attributed to: American Airlines’ extended service from Dallas and Chicago as well as additional frequencies from Charlotte; United Airlines’ extended service from Chicago; additional frequency from New Jersey and new service from Denver; and Southwest Airlines’ additional frequencies from Baltimore and Orlando plus new service from Kansas City.
“As we return tourism arrivals to growth, new routes, larger planes and more available seats from our valued airline partners are critical to achieving that goal,” said Donovan White, Director of Tourism, Jamaica Tourist Board.
“We are very grateful to all carriers that have increased service to Jamaica and look forward to continuing to work together throughout the years.” For the summer travel season, the U.S. market accounts for 1.2 million of the 1.4 million airline seats that were secured for the period, representing a 16% increase over the island’s previous best year, recorded in 2019.
The U.S. remains Jamaica’s top source market for visitors, representing approximately 75% of the island’s total arrivals.
