JHTA forecasts decline in tourist arrival for winter season

It is being forecast that Jamaica will record a decline in arrivals during the current winter tourist season.

The outlook has come from the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) which on Wednesday said its members have so far seen mixed results.

Evelyn Smith, president of the Association, said this is a continuation of last year's trend where arrivals were down for winter and up during summer:

“We have had members who have reported that they have had a good winter, some who have had about average - on par with previous years - and others who have indicated that that they have experienced a decline. So it had been mixed. The proof is in the final pudding, in terms of what the final overall numbers for Jamaica indicate. I think we are only at the stage of preliminary, I would suspect though for preliminary arrivals we will end up being down”, said Ms. Smith.

In a statement on Tuesday, Edmund Bartlett, Opposition Spokesperson on Tourism, said the sector had for the first time in several years, seen a fall in stopover arrivals, with five consecutive months of decline since October.

According to Mr. Bartlett, the situation is bordering on a major crisis, as the winter tourist season registers the most arrivals for Jamaica.

However, Dr. Wykeham McNeill, Minister of Tourism said the sector is in a state of transition. According to the Minister, economic conditions in markets such as the US, North America and the UK, have substantially affected the sector's performance.

Dr. McNeill said the UK has been struggling through a triple dip recession, and this has had a significant negative impact on a major international travel agency, Thomas Cook.

That company owns Sunquest which operates the Thomas Cook air charter service, on which Jamaica has relied for airlift out of Canada.

Dr. McNeil said Thomas Cook’s internal problems have led to a realignment of its business, which included disbanding the airline in Canada.

This has resulted in a shortfall of more than 20,000 seats to Jamaica.