Jamaica’s no. 1 Caribbean destination in growth for Delta Vacations

As Jamaica’s tourism sector continues its robust recovery, the island has been dubbed the number one Caribbean destination for Delta Vacations in terms of growth.

With over 50 years in business, the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) said on Wednesday that Delta Vacations, a Delta Airlines company, is one of the largest vacations providers in the United States.

JTB said Delta Airlines, a major airline, is considered “a legacy carrier.”

The announcement, which follows the island’s double-digit growth in terms of demand and outpacing one of its major competitors, Mexico, was shared during a high-level meeting with Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett, and senior executives of Delta Airlines at their headquarters in Atlanta on Monday, June 12.

“Jamaica’s tourism products and offerings continue to be top of mind for consumers of our major airline partners like Delta,” Bartlett said. “Coming out of the pandemic, we have seen the demand for Jamaica grow as people search for the real and authentic experiences that we have to offer.

“It is truly gratifying to see that this growth is evident amongst our key tourism partners and will allow for further discussions for additional seats and routes,” he added.

Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett, at the Delta Airlines headquarters in Atlanta following a high-level meeting with the legacy carrier’s senior executives.Photo courtesy Jamaica Tourist Board

JTB said the meeting with senior Delta Airlines’ senior executives forms part of an “overarching marketing blitz” led by Bartlett and his team, with a series of tourism engagements in the United States, the country’s largest source market for visitors.

Atlanta forms one of the major cities from which Jamaica welcomes a large influx of American visitors, JTB said.

It said Atlanta also has a large Diaspora population that usually chooses to return to Jamaica to vacation and spend in the destination.

JTB said data from Delta Airlines has also indicted that seats to Jamaica are up 10 percent for the upcoming summer period, “which will add to the very favorable projections that it will be the best summer on record for the destination.”

Bartlett, with his team of senior tourism officials, have also engaged with other critical stakeholders in New York and Miami to ensure the sector leverages the island’s strong predictions for summer, JTB said.

“Our discussions with the Delta team also explored the possibility of multi-destination experiences through Delta’s long-haul routes that coincide with our target for emerging markets like India and Africa,” Bartlett said.

“We are looking at visitors from countries opting to make Jamaica a destination spot through these routes,” he added.