Jamaica experienced its best period of tourist arrivals between December 22 and 26, with some 19,000 visitors landing at the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, the highest since the country’s borders reopened in June.

Last Saturday, the airport accommodated 33 flights, 12 of which were executive Lear jets, an indication that the island is getting back high-end visitors in the mix.

The latest numbers bring arrival figures to date to 90,000 for the month of December, putting the period on track to record 100,000, which would be the largest number in any single month since COVID-19 made its way on Jamaican soil.

Earnings from the industry are estimated to have beefed up the country’s coffers to the tune of half a million US dollars, Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett told The Gleaner yesterday.

Since the reopening of the borders, the island has welcomed over 367,000 visitors, 75 per cent of them tourists, with the other 25 per cent representing a mix of Jamaican nationals who live abroad but still carry the country’s passport, the minister explained.

He credits the traffic with the confidence in the destination’s safety and protocols, which he says are working.

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