MESSAGE FROM THE MINISTER OF TOURISM
I am pleased to extend congratulations to the management and staff of the Norman Manley International Airport as they celebrate their 15th anniversary of welcoming visitors to the vibrant city of
Kingston. This is indeed a special milestone for the airport, which is a major gateway to the Caribbean and the Americas.
The Norman Manley International Airport is the first experience many first time visitors to the capital will get and I am pleased to say that their record of accomplishments in customer service and sharing our warm Jamaica hospitality has been excellent.
Nestled in the heart of Kingston, the port is the ideal place for visitors to get a taste of the increasingly popular city tourism trend. Luckily, for our visitors, there is much to see and do in Kingston. As a capital city, it is the heartbeat of our nation - our culture, our history; and it has several major institutions and historic buildings, which all have major appeal to tourists.
As we seek to improve and diversify our product offerings we have been taking further steps to develop Kingston as a tourist destination – especially for cultural/heritage tourism and sports tourism. The airport will naturally play a critical role in this, as we join the Mayor’s drive to position Kingston as the Gem of the Caribbean.
As many of you know, tourism in Jamaica is on a steady path of continuous growth. Visitor arrivals to Jamaica continued their steady growth, building on 2017’s successes, which saw record arrivals of some 4.3 million stop over and cruise visitors and US$3 billion in earned revenue. Between January and December of this year, we welcomed 2,474,846 stop over arrivals and 1,844,107 cruise passengers, which earned us revenues of US$3.3 Billion, and 8.6% increase in earnings over 2017.
Our airports play a vital role in ensuring that we continue to see growth in our industry. The team at the airport, strategically led by Mr Audley Deidrick, understands this and have already put measures in place to ensure that our visitors’ experience remains safe, seamless and secure.
As Minister of Tourism, it is indeed an honour for me to commend the management and staff of the Norman Manley International Airport for the role they have played in our booming tourism industry.
They continue to make lasting impressions on our visitors, many of whom visit us repeatedly because of the excellent service they receive from the hardworking men and women at the Norman Manley International Airport. On behalf of the Government of Jamaica, we look forward to another 15 years of unmatched excellence.