Jamaica climbs four places in global tourism index

Jamaica has strengthened its position in global tourism, climbing four places in the World Economic Forum’s Travel & Tourism Development Index (TTDI) 2026, rising from 82nd to 78th among the 110 economies assessed. The index was produced in collaboration with Zurich Insurance Group.

Speaking at the Tourism Awareness Week AI Youth Forum at Sandals Dunn’s River on Thursday, the Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett, welcomed the result, saying the improved ranking reflected the country’s continuing efforts to enhance the competitiveness, resilience and sustainability of its tourism sector.

“Moving from 82nd to 78th is not just four places — it is validation. For 10 years, I have watched this Index: 76th in 2015, 69th in 2017 — our best — 76th in 2019, 82nd in 2024, now 78th in 2026. The old index measured what we built — airports and hotel rooms. The new Beyond Tourism index measures what we survived — people, resilience, and retention. Jamaica built that,” said the minister.

Jamaica recorded the largest improvement in ranking of any economy in the Americas and was the only country in the region to climb four places. Its score rose by 2.3% from the 2024 edition, leaving it two places higher than in 2019.

The TTDI assesses the conditions that support sustainable and resilient tourism development, including infrastructure, connectivity, digital readiness, safety and security, and natural and cultural resources. It does not measure visitor arrivals or tourism earnings.

“This movement in the global competitiveness rankings is an important indicator that Jamaica is moving in the right direction. To rise four places in a highly competitive global tourism environment demonstrates that the investments we are making in our people, infrastructure, visitor experience, connectivity, resilience and destination development are producing measurable progress,” said Bartlett.

He said Jamaica’s tourism strategy was increasingly focused not merely on attracting more visitors, but on ensuring that the destination remained competitive, resilient and relevant in a rapidly changing global marketplace.

“Tourism competitiveness today is about much more than sun, sea and sand. It is about the quality of our human capital, the strength of our infrastructure, our ability to innovate, our digital readiness, sustainability, connectivity and the overall value proposition that we offer to visitors,” the minister said.

The improvement comes as Jamaica pursues a broader transformation of its tourism sector under the Tourism 3.0 framework, which places greater emphasis on innovation, human-capital development, resilience, sustainability and stronger linkages between tourism and the wider economy.

The Ministry of Tourism and its agencies said they would continue to use international competitiveness indicators to inform policy, strengthen destination management and guide investment aimed at maintaining Jamaica’s position in an increasingly competitive global tourism market.

The Tourism Action Club’s Youth Forum, part of Tourism Awareness Week, brought together 250 secondary-school students from across Jamaica to explore how artificial intelligence and digital technologies are reshaping tourism under the theme ‘AI and Digital Technologies: The Power of Curiosity’.