Jamaica Set to Welcome 3 Million Stopover Visitors in 2024

The Tyrall Club has officially unveiled its brand new spa, The Spa at Tryall, earlier this month. The private luxury property in Montego Bay, Jamaica is shifting its amenities to include more wellness-leaning offerings to cater to guests looking to truly unwind and find inner peace while on vacation.

Plans are in full force for the highly anticipated second staging of the Global Tourism Resilience Conference in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Taking place over a two-day period, the Global Tourism Resilience Conference will include panel discussions, networking opportunities, presentations and lively debates on matters of building resilience in tourism. This group of experts in their collective fields will gather to collaboratively discuss issues that are central to future-proofing travel and tourism to various disruptions moving forward. Global tourism resilience will once again take centre stage with key experts on building resilience in the industry. As tourism destinations continue to recover, it is critical that   tenacity is a focus of planning and development to future proof the industry from any potential shock,” said Founder of the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCMC) and Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett.

During February, Jamaica comes alive with the sound of reggae, in a celebration of all things related to the music genre intrinsic to the island’s vibrant culture. From Reggae Month festival to Bob Marley’s Birthday, and the premiere of the Bob Marley: One Love biopic on 14th February, there is no better time for travellers to retrace the footsteps of the reggae royalty to forge a deeper connection with his story.

The Saint Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival returns with more than 30 performances including Pure Jazz, Kingdom Gospel, Caribbean Fusion and World Beats, from April 30 to May 12, 2024. This year will see headline performances from pop rock legends Air Supply, along with Davido, Machel Montano, Samara Joy, Beres Hammond, Jon Secada and Chloe Bailey.

Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett met with the owners of the Pinero Group, which owns the prominent Spanish Hotel chain, Bahia Principe, in Madrid, Spain to discuss the status of their multifaceted resort development in St. Ann. The Group owns the Bahia Principe Grand Jamaica, Jamaica’s largest hotel, with 1,350 rooms. The meeting follows a formal presentation of their development plans to the Prime Minister, the Most Honourable Andrew Holness and other officials last year, at the Office of the Prime Minister. The project will be one of the largest resort and real estate projects ever executed in the Caribbean and Latin America.

Boeing is slated to deliver a 737 Max to a Chinese airline for the first time since March 2019, according to Bloomberg.

Following a productive courtesy call between the Ministry of Tourism and World Bank representatives on Tuesday (January 16), Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has reported steady strides regarding the Ministry’s Multi-Dimensional Impact Assessment Study, which will evaluate the economic impact as well as other implications of adding 20,000 new hotel rooms over the next 10 years. The meeting, led by World Bank Country Director for the Caribbean, Lilia Burunciuc, saw the team providing insights into their ongoing study titled “Future of Tourism in the Caribbean.” This study aims to empower regional markets to enhance competitiveness, improve connectivity, and overcome barriers to tourism growth. 

Will 2024 be a Goldilocks year for the global travel industry? We’ve gone from “too cold” during the pandemic to “too hot,” as demand for revenge travel outstripped capacity. Could 2024 be “just right?”​

Japan ended 2023 with a record number of visitors in December, capping off a year in which its tourism industry made a significant recovery from the pandemic.

Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett (2nd left) presents a special gift to members of the World Bank team: Director for the Caribbean, Lilia Burunciuc (2nd right); Programme Leader, Nataliya Mylenko (1st left); and Senior Operations Analyst, Jhanelle-Rae Bowie, following a high-level meeting alongside other members of the Ministry’s team.

Around the world in 80 days? Try 180 days instead.

As the calendar flips to a new year, Unique Vacations, Inc. (UVI) – an affiliate of the worldwide representative for Sandals Resorts and Beaches Resorts – inaugurates 2024 as “The Year of More” at an energizing Global Sales Conference designed to celebrate the outstanding achievements of the travel advisor community and reinforce its crucial role within the ecosystem of tourism for the Caribbean at large. The first of its kind since 2019, the event was held between Sandals Dunn’s River and Sandals Ochi, and united esteemed Caribbean government officials, Sandals Resorts executives, and over 200 members of Unique Vacations global sales force for a weekend of reflection, strategic alignment, and gathering momentum in the direction of selling the coveted Caribbean.