New route, new visitors
Published:Monday | February 17, 2025 | 10:25 AMJanet Silvera/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
Jamaica’s tourism sector stands to benefit from hundreds of visitors, following the introduction of a new route to the island by American carrier Avelo Airlines.
The low-budget airline’s first flight from Raleigh, North Carolina, in the United States (US) to Jamaica, landed at the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, St James, last Wednesday morning and was welcomed during a special ceremony attended by Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett and other dignitaries.
Bartlett said the new route would add to the burgeoning of Jamaica’s tourism sector, which had one of its best runs last winter season. The US is Jamaica’s main tourism source market.
“This is an important addition to the airlift capacity which Jamaica has for this winter season,” offered Bartlett, noting that Jamaica has some 1.3 million seats available for winter travels this year.
“The industry continues to grow, notwithstanding the pressures that we have. The level of growth has not been exactly what we had projected, but to just be there at what we call a flat growth is strong given that we are being measured against the strongest year. The 2024 winter season was the best year,” he stressed, noting that the first month of 2025 has not been so active due to adverse winter conditions affecting airports and cancellations in the US.
Government initiatives
Nonetheless, the season is expected to pick up, assured the minister, outlining a slew of government initiatives this year aimed at making tourism more inclusive for all Jamaicans – those involved in transportation and food, among others.
“We now have some new flights coming in from Lima, Peru. The next two weeks we will get conclusion of an arrangement with Avianca (Airlines) to have new flights coming out of Colombia ... our visa arrangement is heading in the right direction, and within another few days, we will make a major announcement in relation to that,” he noted.
“So we are making up on some of the shortfalls from the US with a strong South America push.”
Montego Bay Mayor Richard Vernon, in celebrating the new route, said the Second City had a stake in ensuring tourism’s growth.
“We have to ensure their (the tourism sector’s) work is made easier by developing our city and by doing the right things; ensuring that it is safe,” he said, adding that these efforts would make Montego Bay more marketable overseas.
“Some of these things that we have done include the movement of our small business operators onto the digitisation platform. Now, they offer contactless and cashless transactions,” noted Vernon.
In the meantime, Avelo pilot Joseph Trevino, following his arrival on the island, was elated by the experience. He said the first flight took roughly 60 passengers.
“It was a good flight. We were happy we were coming here. Hopefully, on one of my days off I will get to fly as a passenger down here,” he said, adding that the first flight had five crew members.