On marking 60 years of diplomatic relations this year, the Ministry of Tourism is hoping the special anniversary will stimulate the arrival of greater numbers of Japanese travellers to Jamaica.

Jamaica has been a long-haul destination of choice for Japanese eager to experience the island’s pristine beaches, natural environment, gourmet coffee, fine rum and reggae music. It has been estimated that more than 100,000 Japanese have visited Jamaica in the past 15 years, largely for sightseeing, golf, tennis, diving, shopping, reggae concerts and studying English.

Now, the tourism ministry is keen to expand the Japanese market, as air connectivity improves and an investment boom valued at US$5 billion is set to increase hotel room count by 15,000 to 20,000 over the next five to 10 years.

Beefing up Japan as a source market

Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett explained, “Japan represents a key market for re-engagement given the country’s outbound travel of over 20 million in 2019 and the strong cultural and diplomatic connections with Jamaica…now is the time to innovate and attract Japanese visitors with our authentic Jamaican experiences.”

Writing in Japantoday.com, Kathryn Wortley reports that Jamaica has been deepening efforts to attract the Japanese market since September 2022, including a Jamaica Tourist Board-hosted familiarisation trip for Japanese travel agents in 2023, aimed at allowing for better selling and packaging of the destination for vacation seekers. From all indications, these efforts are bearing fruit.

When appealing to the Japanese market, Jamaica’s Director of Tourism, Donovan White told the Caribbean Travel Marketplace 2024 last month, “It’s always the challenge of connectivity that is the hardest, but we do have routes connecting to Jamaica over the United States, which is the most connected set of gateways around the world.”

White added that most Japanese visitors arrive via Miami and New York but the market has also recently expressed interest in traveling through London’s Heathrow Airport. Jamaica is easier to visit than before the pandemic for Japanese thanks to a 2019 aviation agreement between the United States and Japan to allow increased flight services between the two countries, therefore improving connections to the destination.

While Japanese travellers to Jamaica are on the increase, Japan is unlikely to ever become a key feeder market like the United States (the source of more than half of total arrivals), Canada and the United Kingdom, according to travel trends and insights provider, ForwardKeys.

With interest rising, Japanese representatives were among the estimated 1,000 delegates attending the Caribbean Travel Marketplace 2024.