Jamaica has become the number one Caribbean destination for UK travellers after a record year in 2022.
It reported more than 231,000 UK visitor arrivals last year, surpassing the previous record of 225,000 in 2019.
The Jamaica Tourist Board said the destination has now overtaken Barbados, while the Dominican Republic is also usually in the top three.
It attributed its success to Jamaica’s “bullish tourism recovery plan” which highlighted the island’s culture, cuisine, music, nature and wellness offerings “in an environmentally sustainable way”.
The destination anticipates further growth in demand and will see 8,500 more hotel rooms by 2025, thanks openings from brands such as Hard Rock Hotel, Riu, Dreams, Secrets, Planet Hollywood, Viva Wyndham, Unico and Princess.
The 260-room Sandals Dunn’s River is opening in May 2023.
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Tourism minister Edmund Bartlett said: “We are working on our most ambitious tourism development and expansion plan in Jamaica’s history to meet the continued demand and interest in our beautiful island.”
The island has daily direct flights from the UK with Virgin Atlantic from Heathrow; British Airways from Gatwick; and Tui from Birmingham, Gatwick and Manchester.
Elizabeth Fox, UK and Northern Europe regional director at the tourist board, added: “We are very happy that Jamaica is the top Caribbean destination of choice for travellers from the UK and would like to thank all our industry partners for their continuous support and faith in our beautiful island.
“Our team has an exciting line-up of plans for 2023 and are confident that we can continue to grow our destination favourability among UK travellers in 2023.
“Our campaign this year is ‘Come Back to Jamaica’: come back to relax, come back to adventure, come back to romance, and the Brits certainly continue to do so.”