w in Jamaica


DESTINATIONS JAMAICA | CARIBBEAN


The Caribbean cultural powerhouse has plenty to entice repeat visitors this year, finds Alice Barnes-Brown


a travelweekly.co.uk


n island of immeasurable beauty, world-class beaches and flavoursome food, Jamaica has long been a popular


destination for British travellers. Following record visitor numbers in 2023, the island’s tourism body has set ambitious targets, hoping to attract 250,000 travellers from the UK and Ireland alone by 2025. To meet the demand, 2,000 new hotel rooms are set to open this year, and flight capacity is well and truly taking off. Jamaica is also hosting the Caribbean Travel Marketplace from May 22-24 this year, offering the international travel trade the chance to meet suppliers and explore the island’s hottest offerings. Here we look at what will be touching down in Jamaica this year and beyond.


FLIGHTS OF FANCY The turquoise seas, rocky coves and rum-based relaxation of Montego Bay will be even easier to


access this year, thanks to increased flight frequency from London. On March 31, Virgin Atlantic will boost its route from Heathrow from five flights a week to daily, year-round, with the addition of services on Saturdays and Sundays. The expansion adds 516 seats a week on the carrier’s route and, according to tourism minister Edmund Bartlett, “underscores the confidence in our destination as the most-visited Caribbean island from the UK”. Clients keen to incorporate another idyllic island on their trip are in luck too. In February, InterCaribbean Airways launched a service between Jamaican capital Kingston and Bridgetown, Barbados, not only linking two of the most popular Caribbean destinations with UK travellers, but also creating convenient one-stop connections with other Caribbean islands, including Grenada, Saint Lucia and Antigua.


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