Tourism officials are excited about the potential fillip Jamaica has received from having big name music stars performing and vacationing in the country recently.
Nigerian international music star Burna Boy’s December 18 performance attracted thousands of locals and visitors to Jamaica’s capital, Kingston while American Music stars Cardi B and Offset were spotted partying with locals as they vacationed.
“I applaud African superstar Burna Boy for his fantastic performance at the National Stadium on the weekend, which was certainly a must-see event for many of our locals, and indeed visitors to the island, who flocked Kingston to attend this massive entertainment offering. Likewise, having Cardi B and Offset here was another big plus too,” said Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett.
“Entertainment remains an important value-added product which we will continue to utilise strategically within the tourism industry to enhance the sector’s growth. In fact, it is one of the passion points of our visitors and one of the many reasons why persons travel to Jamaica yearly. We therefore look forward to many more private sector-led events in the near future, which will continue to positively impact our tourism sector and the many small and medium entrepreneurs who benefit from them,” he added.
The GRAMMY-winning Burna Boy announced his Love, Damini Summer 2022 Tour shortly after his record-breaking, sold-out debut at Madison Square Garden. On December 18, at the National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica, the Caribbean portion of the tour came to an end with performances by Popcaan, Toni-Ann Singh, and Lila Ike.
“Jamaica continues to be the Caribbean’s celebrity playground, with recent visits from other musicians like rappers Cardi B and Offset. There are several others, global celebrities, who have vacationed or are currently vacationing quietly, and they are very appreciative of the relaxed non-paparazzi like Jamaican culture, thereby allowing them to vacation in peace. Villas are the priority, but we do have many who have or are currently staying at known luxury hotels, Airbnbs and even some all-inclusives,” said Delano Seiveright, Senior Advisor and Strategist in the Tourism Ministry.
“On our part, we will continue to develop and promote our country around the world in order to encourage other major international celebrities to visit the island,” Seiveright added.
According to recent projections, Jamaica will see its strongest winter travel season ever this year, with anticipated record arrivals of 950,000 stopover visitors and 524,000 cruise passengers respectively. This is the highest volume of visitors the country has ever experienced — nearly 1.5 million for the entire season.
In tandem, Jamaica is expecting a boost this winter tourist season with US$1.4 billion in tourism earnings anticipated. A total of 1.3 million air seats have been secured for the period and a full recovery of cruise tourism is expected.
