Increases in Arrivals and Visitor Spending for January to March

Jamaica welcomed 1,217,870 visitors during the January to March 2017 quarter, who spent an estimated US$759. 3 million.

Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) Director General, Dr. Wayne Henry, said the figures represent increases of 1.7 per cent and 3.7 per cent in arrivals and expenditure, respectively, over the corresponding quarter in 2016.

He was speaking at the PIOJ’s quarterly media briefing at the Institute’s New Kingston head office on May 30.

Dr. Henry said the total arrivals reflected increases of 0.1 per cent for stopover and 3.2 per cent for cruise-passenger visitors, “largely reflecting increased arrivals from Europe and Canada, as arrivals from the United States declined”.

These out-turns, he pointed out, spurred 0.3 per cent growth in the hotels and restaurants sector, with stopover visitors accounting for 92.1 per cent of the US$759.3 million in earnings generated, which amounted to US$699.9 million.

The Director General said preliminary data for April 2017 showed a 10.5 per cent increase in stopover airport arrivals and 7.5 per cent for cruise passengers.

Dr. Henry noted that the decline in the arrivals from the United States during the March 2017 quarter was attributed to the “Easter Effect”.

“We saw that where Easter fell within the January to March 2016 quarter (we recorded) robust numbers there. This year, Easter fell in April… and so the numbers would have reflected a lower out-turn (in the March quarter)… while the numbers were much higher, when we examined April,” he said.