From 235,000 visitors to 4.3 million - Jamaica’s tourism journey over 65 years

WESTERN BUREAU:

Sixty-five years ago, Jamaica welcomed approximately 235,000 visitors annually, earned US$37.7 million from tourism and was still months away from becoming an independent nation.

Today, the industry has recorded highs of 4.3 million visitors and US$4.5 billion in earnings, with hotel accommodation expanding to approximately 35,000 rooms and employment reaching 175,000.

Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett drew on those figures Sunday as he traced the industry’s transformation during celebrations marking the 65th anniversary of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA).

Speaking at a thanksgiving service at Trumpet Call Ministries in Montego Bay, Bartlett outlined three phases of tourism development, crediting pioneering hoteliers, workers and successive generations of industry leaders with helping to establish Jamaica as an internationally recognised destination.

The JHTA was established on November 1, 1961, nine months before Jamaica gained Independence, when tourism operators recognised the need for a collective voice.

“They saw that the fortunes of individual businesses were connected to the fortunes of the destination,” Bartlett said.

Describing the industry’s formative years as Tourism 1.0, Bartlett said the initial challenge was establishing Jamaica’s place in the international marketplace.

The creation of the Jamaica Tourist Board in 1955 and investments by pioneering hoteliers helped introduce the island’s natural beauty, culture and hospitality to international travellers.

He recognised industry pioneers, including Abe and John Issa, Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart and Heinz Simonitsch, whose leadership at Half Moon helped establish international standards of hospitality in Montego Bay.

“Our pioneers helped bring the world to Jamaica. Our workers gave the world a reason to return,” Bartlett declared.

The second phase, Tourism 2.0, brought expanded hotel investment, new markets and stronger institutions supporting the industry’s development.

The Jamaica Tourist Board, Tourism Product Development Company and Tourism Enhancement Fund were among the agencies Bartlett credited with helping to strengthen the sector.

The expansion was reflected in hotel accommodation and employment figures.

“When we started counting rooms in 1971, we had 8,132 rooms, and we employed 9,388 persons. Today, we have 35,000 rooms, and we employ 175,000,” he said.

Bartlett noted that the industry’s growth had also created opportunities across agriculture, manufacturing, transportation and entertainment, extending its economic influence far beyond hotel properties.

Turning to the industry’s next chapter, Bartlett said Jamaica must deepen local participation in tourism, creating more opportunities for farmers, manufacturers, entrepreneurs and workers.

“Tourism must not simply grow Jamaica; it must also grow in Jamaica,” he declared.

He pointed to the Jamaica Centre for Tourism Innovation and the Tourism Workers Pension Scheme as initiatives intended to improve career advancement and retirement security.

The minister said tourism’s future should provide young Jamaicans with meaningful careers, small entrepreneurs with dependable markets and workers with greater financial security.

JHTA President O’Brian Heron illustrated the industry’s reach when he asked worshippers how many of their households had a connection to tourism.

Almost every hand went up.

“Tourism is in our homes. It helps put food on our tables. It puts children through school,” Heron told the congregation.

He said the association’s responsibility extended beyond large hotels to small guesthouses, restaurants, attractions and suppliers whose livelihoods depended on the industry’s performance.

The anniversary celebrations continued with a brunch hosted by the S Hotel Montego Bay, where Heron paid tribute to past presidents, members and tourism workers.

He singled out Executive Director Camille Needham for 40 years of service, praising her institutional knowledge and commitment through successive administrations.

Heron also reported that 92 per cent of Jamaica’s hotel rooms were back in operation following Hurricane Melissa, with another 2,000 expected to reopen during November and December, supporting more than 2,000 jobs.

Celebrating under the theme ‘Honouring Our Legacy, Shaping Our Future’, the JHTA has planned community activities, tourism forums, a schools’ poster competition, a Tourism Linkages Forum, a golf tournament and a gala dinner.

janet.silvera@gleanerjm.com