Odette Soberam-Dyer, regional director at the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), has declared that Kingston is growing as a tourist destination and lauded Frontier Airlines for helping to push that growth.

Speaking with journalists yesterday (November 7), on the arrival of passengers from the airline’s inaugural flight from Atlanta in the United States (US) to Kingston, the JTB official said: “It is a value to us.”

She added: “Atlanta is a major US hub, so it opens up Kingston, and Kingston is emerging as an excellent tourist destination, because of our road network, which enables easy access to places like Ocho Rios and Central Jamaica.”

Soberam-Dyer added that Jamaica continues to be a destination that’s in demand, as evidenced by the number of gateways that Frontier Airlines has opened.

She said the partners and stakeholders in the travel industry need special commendations for their efforts, as well as the JTB’s team in the US, for their tremendous work to market the island.

“Thanks to Frontier Airlines for believing in destination Jamaica. The more arrivals that we have, they translate into more employment and economic growth of the destination,” Soberam-Dyer noted.

William Evans, senior manager for international marketing and sales at Frontier Airlines, said the company was excited with its expansion in Kingston and Montego Bay, St James, and reported that the travel industry has rebounded to pre-coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic levels.

“We have seen a great increase; people are hungry to travel, and we are really thrilled that the people want to come back,” he said.

For her part, Theresa Benjamin, director at Kingston Airport Limited, said Kingston has a lot to offer.

She also said that “we are really excited that Frontier is willing to explore with us”.

– Jamaica Information Service