Jamaica’s domestic tourism market is now larger than it was pre-pandemic, as locals stay closer to home for much-needed staycations. Industry players have been rolling out special rates to lure those with dreams of getting away from it all… in Jamaica.
“Domestic tourism, or staycation, has always been an integral part of Jamaica Tourist Board’s (JTB) marketing strategy. With international travel disrupted, as a destination we had to look inward and ramp up our domestic marketing machinery,” says Tourism Director Donovan White. “Without a doubt, domestic tourism has become a reliable alternative for revitalising the tourist industry and served as a pathway for its revival. The result has been that domestic tourism is above pre-pandemic levels.”
In July 2020, reacting to COVID-19’s body blow to the industry, the JTB rolled out its Rediscover Jamaica Campaign in recognition of the role the domestic market could play in keeping the sector afloat.
It worked.
“Locals were able to go in and keep the 20 to 35 per cent occupancy that was needed to enable the plants, meaning hotels, to be open. That was critical, just to maintain our plants and keep the workers on the job,” says Tourism Minister Ed Bartlett. “So we know the value of domestic tourism. We spent a lot of effort on staycation, we built a product [and] it attracted quite a bit of Jamaicans. Thank goodness, domestic tourism has worked for us.”
In wealthier countries where there’s a bigger chunk of disposable income, the domestic tourism market can be as large as 50 per cent. In Jamaica, the product is ready and waiting for locals to enjoy, says Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) President Clifton Reader. “We just have to entice Jamaicans to utilise those products,” he says. “[Last year] in the middle of COVID, the industry was supported a lot by locals. In one survey that we did, we saw, I think, 37 per cent locals supporting hotels and attractions [and other tourism-related businesses]. But these are locals that, if things were opened up, they would be vacationing abroad. A lot of them would probably go into Miami, Fort Lauderdale, New York or wherever. But they were forced to stay here. And by staying here a lot of them made several discoveries [of] a lot of the gems [across the island]”.
In addition to the hotels that receive guests, there is a trickle-down effect for smaller players in the industry — the musicians who provide entertainment, the farmers who provide fresh produce, transportation providers and others who indirectly depend on hotels keeping their doors open in order to make a living.
The JTB’s Jamaica Vacations website has a list of staycation-participating partners across the country. They range from places to stay and things to do, to the transportation available to take you there. Chukka, Mystic Mountain and Dolphin Cove are among the things to do, while Knutsford Express and Holiday Services are in the transportation category. There is a long list of places to stay, presented by the geographic locations of Kingston, Ocho Rios, Montego Bay Negril, Port Antonio and the south coast. Some of the listings prominently display the percentage discount available to locals looking to book their staycations. They start at 10 per cent off and go as high as 50 per cent.