Destination
Jamaica visitor arrivals on pace to break 2024 record
Stop-over arrivals through April 2026 are tracking 8.4 percent ahead of last year, putting Jamaica on course to clear four-and-a-half million visitors before December. Negril and Ocho Rios are leading the rebound; Kingston is lagging. Here is what is driving each market.
Published May 10, 2026 · AI-assisted editorial
Stop-over arrivals through April 2026 are tracking 8.4 percent ahead of last year, putting Jamaica on course to clear four-and-a-half million visitors before December — eclipsing the 2024 calendar-year peak.
Where the growth is coming from
Negril and Ocho Rios account for roughly two-thirds of the gain, both seeing double-digit increases in stop-over nights. The North American long-weekend market in particular has surged: nonstop Sangster (MBJ) seats from Toronto, New York, and Atlanta have grown faster than the rest of the network combined.
Kingston is the outlier. Visitor nights in the capital are down four percent year-over-year, with hoteliers attributing the slide to a perception gap on safety rather than to actual incident data. The Jamaica Tourist Board is preparing a Q3 campaign aimed specifically at correcting that perception in the diaspora market.
What it means for travelers
If you are planning a trip between October and February — peak season — book early. Inventory is tightening fastest at all-inclusive resorts on Seven Mile Beach, and shoulder-season rates have already crept up from last year. Private transfers from MBJ are also seeing higher demand on weekend turns.
For cruise passengers transiting Falmouth, expect heavier port-day traffic at Dunn's River Falls and the Luminous Lagoon. Both attractions have introduced timed-entry slots for the high season.
What we are watching
The August-October hurricane window is the wild card. The 2026 NOAA forecast calls for a near-normal Atlantic season — fewer storms than last year's above-average count, but one direct strike on either coast still resets the math. Travelers booking outside refundable rate plans should weigh trip insurance carefully.