Jamaica, the Caribbean island famous for its music, food and beaches, is aiming to attract more tourists from Argentina, the home country of soccer star Lionel Messi. The Jamaican Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, has announced that Argentina is a key market for Jamaica’s tourism strategy in Latin America.

According to the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), Argentina is the largest source market for Jamaica in Latin America, with a population of 45 million and a strong cultural affinity with the island. In 2019, Jamaica welcomed over 7,000 visitors from Argentina, a 23.7% increase from 2018. The JTB has been actively promoting Jamaica in Argentina through various initiatives, such as trade shows, roadshows, media campaigns and partnerships with airlines and tour operators.

Minister Bartlett said that Argentina is a vital part of Jamaica’s strategy to reengage the Latin American market, which has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. He said that Jamaica is confident that this is a good time to pursue opportunities for collaboration with Argentina, as the country has shown impressive economic recovery and increased demand for travel.

“We recognize the importance of increasing arrivals from this large and influential country in our overall strategy to fully reengage the Latin American (Latam) market. Before the pandemic, we welcomed over approximately 7,000 visitors from Argentina and was poised to significantly improve those numbers, but the pandemic hit. Now, as we rebuild in the region, Argentina will be a key focus for us,” said Minister Bartlett.

One of the main challenges that Jamaica faces in attracting tourists from Argentina is the lack of direct air connectivity. Most visitors from Argentina have to transit through other countries, such as Panama or the United States, which adds to the travel time and cost. To address this issue, the JTB has been working with airlines to increase the frequency and capacity of flights to Jamaica from Argentina. For example, in 2019, Copa Airlines added a fourth weekly flight from Panama City to Montego Bay, while LATAM Airlines launched a new direct flight from Lima, Peru to Montego Bay.

Another challenge that Jamaica faces is the language barrier. Although English is widely spoken in Jamaica, many tourists from Argentina prefer to communicate in Spanish. To cater to this preference, the JTB has been training its staff and stakeholders in Spanish, as well as providing multilingual brochures, websites and social media platforms. The JTB has also been highlighting the cultural similarities and connections between Jamaica and Argentina, such as their shared African heritage, musical influences and culinary diversity.

Minister Bartlett said that Jamaica is committed to providing a seamless and enjoyable experience for its Argentine guests. He also said that Jamaica is keen to learn from the best practices of other countries in Latin America that have successfully developed their tourism sectors.

“We are very keen on learning from our neighbors who have done extremely well in tourism development. Countries like Mexico, Colombia and Costa Rica are some of our models,” he said. “We are also very proud of our own achievements and we want to share them with our friends in Argentina. We want them to feel the vibe of Jamaica,” he added.

By targeting the Argentine tourism market, Jamaica hopes to diversify its tourism portfolio and increase its resilience to external shocks, such as natural disasters or pandemics. The island also hopes to benefit from the economic and social opportunities that tourism can bring, such as job creation, income generation and cultural exchange.

Minister Bartlett said that Jamaica’s vision is to become one of the leading destinations in the world by 2025. He said that this vision requires innovation, collaboration and adaptation to changing consumer preferences and global trends.

“Our vision is to welcome five million visitors annually by 2025; generate US$5 billion in earnings; increase total direct jobs to 125 thousand; add 15 thousand new rooms; have at least 50 percent retention rate of visitor spending; increase visitor arrivals by air by seven percent annually; increase visitor arrivals by cruise by five percent annually; increase average length of stay by five percent annually; increase repeat business by 60 percent; achieve an overall visitor satisfaction rate of 90 percent; achieve an overall net promoter score of 70 percent; achieve an overall employee satisfaction rate of 90 percent; achieve an overall community satisfaction rate of 90 percent; achieve an overall environmental satisfaction rate of 90 percent,” he outlined.

He also said that Jamaica is not only interested in increasing the quantity of tourists, but also the quality of their experience. He said that Jamaica is focused on developing niche markets, such as health and wellness, sports, gastronomy, entertainment, culture and heritage, among others.

“We are not just selling sun, sea and sand. We are selling a complete destination that offers a variety of experiences for different types of travelers. We are selling a lifestyle that is unique to Jamaica,” he said.

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