Jamaica's Tourism Sector Is Nearing Full Recovery From The Effects Of Covid
Jamaica’s tourism has nearly entirely recovered from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which threatened the industry's very survival.
The announcement was made by Hon. Edmund Bartlett, Minister of Tourism, during a meeting with members of a special delegation from the Republic of Namibia, led by the African country's Minister in the Presidency, Hon. Christine Hoebes.
The Report
The good news is that Jamaica has now recovered 90 percent from the COVID-19 pandemic in the tourism sector, Minister Bartlett said, adding that,
“„Our recovery in terms of arrivals this year is likely to be well over 3 million, and we are also expecting our earnings to be just about $100 million, or so, below our best earnings in 2019 of $3.7 billion.
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The Minister also stated that Jamaica's key source markets are rapidly recovering from the COVID-19 outbreak.
Minister Bartlett highlighted that the United Kingdom (UK) is the only market where "we are pacing ahead of 2019" estimates, saying that "we are six percent ahead in the UK market" compared to pre-COVID figures.
The meeting with delegation members came after a meeting of the Jamaica/Namibia Joint Committee earlier this week, where agreements were struck in numerous areas, including tourism, logistics, urban development, and Diaspora collaboration.
Mr. Bartlett went on to say that "the United States has come back extremely strongly, and while Canada is lagging a little, progress is being made."
He also stated that "we can give some help and support in terms of Namibia's own recovery program" based on Jamaica's tourist recovery.
Mr. Bartlett explained that under the tourism-related Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), both countries will collaborate in areas such as marketing, human capital development, sustainability, and resilience building.
Minister Bartlett stated that this will require working with Namibian officials in the coming months to support the development of a satellite center of the Jamaica-based Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCMC).
In response, Minister Christine//Hoebes stated that she is pleased and looking forward to working with Jamaica on all fronts, particularly tourism and human capital development.
Regarding cruise tourism, especially from the port in Montego Bay, Jamaica to the port in Walvis Bay, Namibia, she noted that,
“„This will strengthen the collaboration between the two countries, the agreement will put Namibia in a better place
Conclusion
Minister Christine//Hoebes stated that her nation is looking forward to emulating what it is that attracts tourists to Jamaica and keeps them coming back again and again.
