Durrant Pate/Contributor

Stakeholders are making significant strides in positioning Kingston as a premier leisure tourism destination with efforts focused on more tourist-attracting events, enhancing safety and promoting the capital city’s rich cultural and sporting events. 

International interest in the city has been sparked by the fact that over the past few years, the capital city has seen a marked improvement in crime rates, with a notable decline in violent crime, thus creating a safer environment for both locals and visitors. The heartbeat of the capital city, downtown Kingston, is seeing a renaissance with stakeholders developing it as an art city, as visitors are pulled in by murals going up all over the locale.

With the rise of events tourism, Kingston’s growing event calendar, which includes popular sporting events like the high school athletics championships, the Grand Slam Track event, and the ever-popular Carnival celebrations, which are transforming the city into a bustling tourism hotspot. Travel and Tour World (TTW), which is a digital B2B integrated media platform in the travel and tourism industry, is reporting that with hotel rooms at full capacity and alternative accommodations struggling to meet demand, Kingston is on track to become a key player in the global leisure tourism market. 

Kingston rising star in Jamaica’s tourism industry 

The combination of reduced crime, a thriving events scene, and the city’s rich cultural history makes Kingston a rising star in Jamaica’s tourism industry, offering exciting opportunities for future growth and development, according to TTW. While the majority of more than four million visitors continue to flock to the scenic northern and western regions of Jamaica, renowned for their tropical beauty and vibrant culture, Kingston, known for its music scene, historical sites, and cultural offerings, is now slowly capturing the attention of affluent tourists.

Recent statistics provide a glimmer of hope for Kingston’s tourism prospects, particularly the record number of visitors that flocked the island over the past two weeks for a hugely successful Jamaica Carnival 2025. Carnival has proven to be a game-changer for the city’s tourism sector, where the growth in recent times has been nothing short of remarkable with estimates showing that for every dollar spent on Carnival-related activities in Jamaica, the country reaps a return of $130, making it one of the most lucrative events for the island’s tourism industry.

This optimistic outlook is further supported by a study conducted by the Tourism Enhancement Fund, which reveals that Jamaica Carnival generated an astonishing $95.4 billion in economic output last year. This figure reflects not only the direct economic impact of the event but also its far-reaching promotional benefits, which have increased Jamaica’s global visibility and attracted new visitors to the island.

Events contributing to Kingston’s tourism boom

Significant events that have contributed to Kingston’s tourism boom are the high school athletics championships, a fixture on the Jamaican sporting calendar for more than a century, and American Gold medal Olympian, Michael Johnson’s recently established Grand Slam Track event, which was a great success last month.

These events, alongside the ongoing Carnival celebrations in the city, are fully booked, and even alternative accommodations are struggling to keep pace with the overwhelming demand. Also contributing is the commendable 35.9% decline in murders between January 1 and early April of this year. 

This sharp decline can be largely attributed to increased efforts by law enforcement agencies to crack down on criminal activity and enhance public safety. The significant reduction in violent crime signals that Kingston may be on its way to overcoming its security challenges, which have long been a deterrent for high-end travellers and investors. Tourism stakeholders in Jamaica are also preparing for future events that will continue to build on this momentum. 

One such opportunity is the Australian Tour of the West Indies, which will feature a match at Kingston’s Sabina Park, the home of Test Cricket in Jamaica. If all goes as planned, Sabina Park will host its first-ever day-night Test in July. Sabina Park has never hosted any day-night international cricket due to the poor quality of the lights there. 

This event represents a significant opportunity for Jamaica to further cement its reputation as a global sports tourism destination.