KINGSTON, JAMAICA — It was a happy holiday season indeed for Jamaica, which reported its highest seven-day cumulative arrival figures since reopening borders on June 15.

According to the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), just over 21,000 passengers arrived on the island between Dec. 22-28, with 16,841 passing through Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay and an addition 4,203 passengers arriving at the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston.

Between Dec. 1-28, Jamaica welcomed over 98,000 visitors, an increase of more than 30,000 compared to the previous month. Sangster International Airport continues to account for the majority of arrivals. Between June 15 and Dec. 28, a total of 376,044 passengers arrived on the island.

“This is welcome news for us as an industry as we see an uptick in visitor arrivals and close the year on a positive note,” said Donovan White, Jamaica’s Director of Tourism. “The Christmas holidays provided the destination a well-needed boost, which we hope will be an indicator of what we can expect in the New Year. All stakeholders remain positive and believe that the air seats secured for Winter 2020/2021 will further bolster our recovery efforts.”

The news comes on the heels of the JTB’s two-day meetings held on Dec. 10 and 11 during which 40-plus representatives from Canada, the U.S., Latin America, the U.K. and Continental Europe came together for a series of updates on the destination, including marketing and tourism activities. Forward-looking plans for each region include virtual engagements and trade shows for the retail community, in-person fam trips for travel agents, buyers and media, and targeted media relations campaigns and promotions for trade, consumers and Diaspora audiences.