Last Updated on July 26, 2020, 6:45 AM AST by Anthony Morris
Jamaica has made an estimated earning of US$80 million from around 40,000 tourists who came to the island since the country opened its borders on 15 June.
Edmund Bartlett, Minister of Tourism, credited the earnings to the measures which the Government implemented for building confidence for tourists on Wednesday at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in New Kingston, while he was speaking at the Rediscover Jamaica launch.
According to the Minister, many of the measures are the first among tourist destinations of the world, like the establishment of a resilient corridor, along the northern coast of Jamaica, which has enabled the Government of Jamaica to manage the movement of the tourists.
Bartlett said that the reopening of the industry along the corridor has allowed thousands of workers to return to their jobs, while the reopening of the southern coast corridor last week ensured that another 10,000 Jamaicans would start working again.
The Minister added that the Caribbean is a tourism-dependent region, and in Jamaica, the Government knows that tourism is integral for the survival of the country.
As the most significant economic engine of the country, travel and tourist industry of Jamaica employs 170,000 workers and effects an additional 120,000 from other related industries, and it fuels more than one-third of the economy of Jamaica.
He went on to say that the past few months were particularly challenging because of the global COVID-19 pandemic. As a country, Jamaica suffered the most significant economic decline, which it witnessed in the past four decades. The real GDP of the country, declined by 1.7 per cent for the month of March this year and the real GDP is projected to fall 12-14 per cent for this year’s April-June quarter.
Bartlett said that until there is mass access to a COVID-19 vaccine, the risk can not be eliminated.
It is noteworthy that the tourism industry of Jamaica generates revenue of several million dollars every year.
Anthony Morris covers stories related to politics and regional developments. His in-depth reporting about governance and reforms makes him stand out in regional journalism, with a deep analysis of political trends and their impact on Caribbean communities.
