US immigration worries blamed as Jamaica’s tourist arrivals dip

Jamaica’s tourism numbers for the first four months of 2025 have shown a downturn, but tourism officials and stakeholders are expressing optimism that the numbers will increase for summer.

Robin Russell, the president of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourism Association (JHTA), told The Gleaner that there is a softening in the numbers, but said he expects the numbers to rebound for the summer period.

Russell noted that while there is usually a dip in arrivals immediately after the peak tourism season ends, this year has shown an unusual fall-off, compared to the same period last year.

“This fall-off can be attributed to what is happening in the United States (US), where travellers are somewhat skittish because of uncertainly about immigration,” he told The Gleaner.

He said that many green card holders are uncertain about travelling but that he did not believe there was cause for concern.

Russell said pre-bookings for the summer look very good and he believes the numbers will rebound.

The Airports Authority of Jamaica (AAJ) is also noting a drop-off in the number of passenger loads arriving in the island.

AAJ President and CEO Audley Deidrick told The Gleaner that there has been a fall in passenger loads, especially arrivals at Sangster International Airport (SIA) in Montego Bay, St James.

However, he could not say what effect this was having on the tourism numbers.

Like Russell, Deidrick pointed to the skittishness of travellers from the US due to the uncertainty around immigration enforcement.

“I cannot say that the immigration concerns are what is affecting travel, but we have seen a drop-off in passenger loads,” he said.

Claire Robinson, head of Claire Skies Travel, one of Jamaica’s major tourist bookers out of the US, told The Gleaner that she has seen a rollback in the number of tourist bookings.

Robinson, who markets Jamaica as a wedding destination, told The Gleaner that the numbers are definitely trending lower.

She said that she recently had a party of 150 people who travelled to Jamaica and she is getting ready for another destination wedding to the island, adding that the decline is not specific only to Jamaica but elsewhere as well.

Christopher Issa, CEO of S Hotels Jamaica, told The Gleaner that there has been a softening in arrival numbers.

He said that given the current trend, he has considered looking at the rates that his hotel currently charges.

“There is a decrease in the numbers compared to last year and this is likely to affect rates,” he said.

Issa also acknowledged that there is usually a drop-off in arrivals after the peak winter season, but noted that what is happening this time around is different.

Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett, acknowledging the drop in the arrival numbers, said there has been a one per cent drop-off in the number of stopover visitors compared to last year, but that the numbers are not a cause for concern.

“The drop is minuscule, given that we had over four million visitors last year,” he said.

The minister added that Jamaica recorded one million stopover visitors in the four-month period of this year, earning some US$1.5 million.

Bartlett, noting that the US is Jamaica’s largest tourism market, said he was unable to give exact numbers for the decrease in tourist arrivals from that market.

He said, however, that pre-summer bookings were “looking good”, with two new flights scheduled to come out of Canada.

The minister and tourist stakeholders are also hoping that flights coming out of Asia and Latin America will offset any drop-off from the US markets.

However, there remain questions about the number of Jamaicans who will travel to the island this summer, compared to the past, due to the current US immigration measures.

Currently, Jamaica has direct flights only from three countries – Canada, the US and England – while all other flights make connections before arriving in Jamaica.

Recently, several American carriers announced cutbacks in domestic flights because of a downturn in tourists into the US.

The cutbacks have the effect of less flights into the main hubs from which flights originate into Jamaica. The latest to announce flight reductions was United Airlines, which said it would be cutting some 37 flights. Already, United Airlines has cut some 13 domestic routes, which affect the number of passengers into their hubs.

Both Bartlett and Deidrick said that they have not been advised by United Airlines if routes into Jamaica will be affected.

United Airlines is reported to have some 34 flights weekly into Jamaica from its five main hubs, the majority of which service the SIA.

Meanwhile, the tourist industry continues to see a drop-off in arrivals, a fall that tourist officials and stakeholders hope will be reversed.

editorial@gleanerjm.com