Durrant Pate/Contributor

Promoting Jamaica as a ‘love destination,’ the Ministry of Tourism is seeking to increase the island’s share of the lucrative global wedding services market, which is projected to reach US$368 billion by 2030.

Destination weddings are one of the fastest-growing segments, growing by 40 per cent in the last five years. 

Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett is pushing to get the buy-in from professional wedding planners, as Jamaica seeks to grow its share from this market, which he is aiming to double its earnings and visitor arrivals. The minister outlined that Jamaica is targeting eight million visitors by 2030, saying Jamaica well well-positioned to do so while expressing confidence that “this trend presents an unprecedented opportunity for our tourism sector to diversify and strengthen our economic foundation, while showcasing the natural beauty and cultural richness that make Jamaica truly special.”

Addressing the recent Jamaica Bridal Expo, Bartlett talked to several groups, such as bridal suppliers, travel advisors, tour operators, and trade media, highlighting, “We recognise that success in the destination wedding market requires seamless collaboration … and this expo provides the perfect platform for forging those partnerships and creating the comprehensive packages that modern couples demand.” 

The minister said the Bridal Expo was a celebration of love, the human intelligence that cannot be replicated by mechanical intelligence, arguing, “because love is born of emotion and only human beings, not machines, can have emotions.”

He advised that destination wedding promoters, “we want the world to know that Jamaica is the place where that vibe is. It is where that emotion is the strongest,” whilst emphasising that “we want to drive weddings as a major part of the offerings in Jamaica.” 

He told the audience that, like them, Jamaica was looking beyond their source market of North America and was going heavily into India, Central and South America,  promising that “Jamaica is going to develop an unmatched wedding advantage. We’ll be looking closer at how to incentivise that area. Additionally, we will look at how to provide more support for our partners who are in the wedding business.”