Jamaica case study

• Jamaica


  Fourth-largest island country in the Caribbean, with a tropical climate and famed for its beautiful sandy beaches and rich cultural heritage
• Jamaica


  • Excellent communications
  • Popular destination for cruise ships
• Tourism has seen significant growth in Jamaica
• Visitor arrivals to Jamaica

  • Exponential growth between 1994 and 2016
  • Change not in line with previous years in 2009 due to recession
• Total visitor expenditure in Jamaica increased from US$128,706,000 in 1975 to US$3,400,000,000 in 2019
• Tourism


  One of Jamaica's top sources of revenue, contributing over 50% of the country's total foreign exchange earnings (approx. US$2b)
• Tourism employs the second largest number of Jamaicans (approximately 200,000) directly in hotels, transport and attractions and indirectly in trading, manufacturing and banking
• Tourism benefits locals farmers e.g Sandals Resort Farmers Program

  1. Grew from 10 farmers in 1996, supplying two hotels, to 80 farmers in 2004, supplying hotels island-wide

  2. In 2018, the hotel chain provided more than $25 million in assistance, starting with the up-front purchase and distribution of $3.5 million of Irish potato seeds to five farmers in Manchester, Jamaica

  3. The purpose is to enable the hotel chain to purchase potatoes locally rather than rely on imports
• There have been considerable investments in infrastructure to accommodate tourists, such as expanding port facilities, airports and road infrastructure
• The development of roads followed much later as catering for cruise ships was prioritised, and some hotel owners have not been happy with this
• Many people in key tourist areas, such as Montego Bay, have benefited from an improved quality of life due to tourism, but pockets of poverty still exist
• The environment has benefited from landscaping projects and the introduction of nature parks