Tourism In Jamaica

Long before the first tourism marketing plan was written, Christopher Columbus on his inaugural voyage to Jamaica was struck by the islands beauty. These natural attributes proved to be invaluable assets when in 1891 the government sought to explore the economic potential of the colony.

The decision to stage an International Exhibition in Jamaica during that year fuelled the idea that the Exhibition would bring many to Jamaica for the first time who would make known the advantages of Jamaica as a winter resort to others and thus lay the foundation for a steady and increasing flow of tourists to the island. This signaled the beginning of governments commitment to the development of the tourist industry.

The industry has grown significantly since then and today Brand Jamaica is known, recognized and loved the world over.

Year	Total StopoverArrivals	Total Cruise Arrivals	Total Visitor Arrivals	Total Visitor Expenditure
1955	86,793	35,356**	122,149	6,718,190
1963	131,865	70,464**	202,329	13,500,000*
1975	395,809	150,433	553,258	US$128,706,000
1984	603,436	231,039	843,774	US$406,600,000
1994	976,635	595,036	1,108,871	US$919,000,000
2003	1,350,285	1,132,596	2,482,881	US$1,351,142,000
2009	1,831,097	922,349	2,753,446	US$1,925,423,000
2011	1,951,752	1,125,481	3,077,233	US$2,008,343,000
2014	2,080,181	1,423,797	3,503,978	US$2,247,834,000
2015	2,123,042	1,568,702	3,691,744	US$2,402,340,000
2016	2,181,684	1,655,559	3,837,243	US$2,608,798,000

*Jamaica converted from the English pound to the Jamaican dollar in 1969.