Emirates Airlines adds Jamaica to its ticket
Dubai-based Emirates Airlines is now selling seats to Jamaica and will start making stops on the island in the near future.
Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett said, “this is a major initiative for Jamaica as it is opening the Middle Eastern gateway from Asia and North Africa. It is the first time that destination Jamaica has been entered into the ticketing system of a Gulf Coast Country (GCC) airline and gives the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) significant leverage to negotiate direct flights to the destination.”
Bartlett made the announcement on Tuesday following high-level meetings between Jamaica’s tourism officials and a team from Emirates Airlines led by Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman of the Dubai World Trade Centre Authority and chairman & chief executive, Emirates Airline & Group, at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) in Dubai.
The agreement is a major outcome of Jamaica’s debut participation in the Arabian Travel Market, which runs from May 9-12, 2022.
Both Norman Manley and Sangster International Airports are now listed in the airline system, with ticket pricing available accordingly. Flights are offered with options including JFK, New York, Newark, Boston and Orlando. One option goes through Malpensa, Italy, allowing access to the European market as well. Notably, the flights are being sold by Emirates Holidays.
According to Bartlett, discussions began in October 2021 when he and director of tourism Donovan White made their first visit to Expo 2020 Dubai.
Bartlett’s trip to Dubai is part of a mega marketing tour to further boost growth in the island’s tourism industry, which includes stops in New York, Africa, Canada, Europe and Latin America, with breaks in between.