German Tourists Set to Flood Jamaica

Jamaica Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, says the month-over-month trajectory from September 2021 to October 2021 shows a 134% increase in booking volume from Germany. Based on this increase, it is anticipated that November and December will surpass comparable months in 2019. 

“Jamaica is well-positioned to provide authentic experiences to satisfy these new demands and will be building out more of these experiences to attract German travelers. From now and onwards, our booking projections would have exceeded pre-pandemic booking norms,” said Minister Bartlett.

“Next year is looking even more promising, as our figures are projecting 40,000 seats out of Germany for the summer, which is due to increased airlift and the hard work of all our trade partners,” he added. 

The Minister made these remarks earlier today at a Travel Talk Workshop with leading industry officials from Jamaica and the FVW Medien, Germany’s leading travel industry media group. The event was organized to engage in meaningful discussions and devise a growth strategy for this crucial European market.

“What our data shows is that there has been a steady growth in the number of Germans seeking to enjoy Jamaica’s tourism offerings, and before the pandemic, the island welcomed over 20,000 Germans to its shores. Then the pandemic hit, and we are all aware of its devastating impact on all industries globally, especially tourism,” said the Minister.

However, he assured them of the safety of the destination, noting the high vaccination of the tourism workers and the effectiveness of the Tourism Resilience Corridors, which incorporate 80 percent of the island’s tourists.

“We are already seeing the positive effects of the destination’s COVID-19 management with increased bookings and seats. With our rigorous adherence to these protocols, infection rates have been kept extremely low within the Resilient Corridors -below 0.1 percent,” he said.

The Minister also shared that access to the destination from Germany is on the rise, as the third-largest European point-to-point carrier, Eurowings, made its inaugural flight from Frankfurt, Germany, to Montego Bay on November 4, with 211 passengers and crew. 

The new service will fly twice weekly into Montego Bay, departing Wednesdays and Saturdays.  It will increase access to the island from Europe. Additionally, Swiss leisure travel airline, Edelweiss, started new once-weekly flights into Jamaica while Condor Airlines restarted roughly twice-weekly flights between Frankfurt, Germany, and Montego Bay in July.

The FVW Travel Talk, which was hosted at the Montego Bay Convention Centre, is a sought-after destination experience conceptualized by FVW Median, Germany´s leading travel industry media group. The one-day congress brings together leading industry officials in Jamaica and forty trade officials and travel agents from Germany, Austria & Switzerland (DACH). 

The objectives were to: increase exposure of Jamaica as the Caribbean destination of choice in the German speaking market; Focus attention on the strong airlift emerging from the DACH market, along with latest trend and developments in Jamaica; and networking to establish valuable contacts, insights and expertise.

SEEN IN PHOTO: Jamaica Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, delivers remarks at the FVW Travel Talk Workshop hosted at the Montego Bay Convention Centre on November 17, 2021. The event was organized to engage in meaningful discussions and devise a growth strategy for this crucial European market.

Media Contact: 

Corporate Communications Division

Ministry of Tourism 

64 Knutsford Boulevard

Kingston 5

Telephone: 920-4924

Fax: 906-1729