Canada to drive Jamaica’s next tourism growth push

WESTERN BUREAU:

Canada is expected to deliver Jamaica’s largest increase in airline seat capacity next winter as the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) expands service into new cities in a strategic push to accelerate the tourism sector’s recovery after Hurricane Melissa.

Director of Tourism Donovan White said Canada is poised to become Jamaica’s fastest-growing source market for airline seats, with new routes and expanded services planned by several carriers as the island looks beyond its traditional visitor base in Ontario.

“Canada is probably going to see the biggest growth in seat capacity starting next winter,” White told members of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association’s 65th Annual General Meeting at Sandals Dunn’s River.

Among the developments is the launch of new service by Porter Airlines, which will begin operating flights from Toronto, Ottawa and Hamilton to Montego Bay. Air Canada will also introduce new service from Halifax, increase flights from Ottawa, and expand into western Canada while WestJet will add flights from Edmonton, a market the JTB believes offers significant untapped potential.

White said the decision to target western Canada followed years of strong growth in Ontario, which remains Jamaica’s most mature Canadian market.

“We particularly went after the West Coast because we see there is still a lot of opportunity,” he explained, noting that although the flights are longer, the region has a strong economy and travellers with the means to vacation abroad.

The expanded Canadian airlift forms part of a broader JTB strategy to diversify Jamaica’s visitor markets and reduce its dependence on the United States.

White noted that while the United States still accounts for approximately 66 per cent of visitor arrivals, that share has declined from about 75 per cent in previous years as the tourism board deliberately broadened its marketing efforts across Latin America, Europe, and Canada.

He argued that a more diversified visitor base would make Jamaica’s tourism industry more resilient to economic shocks affecting any single market.

He also highlighted the success of the JTB’s targeted marketing campaign in Quebec, describing the French-speaking province as a market the destination had pursued for years.

According to White, the campaign exceeded expectations, prompting tour operator Sunwing to indicate that it could convert seasonal flights into year-round service if demand continues to grow.

“We finally broke the back of it this year,” he said, adding that the positive response demonstrated the potential of French-speaking Canada as a long-term growth market.

While welcoming the expanded airlift, White stressed that airlines alone could not fill the aircraft.

He urged hotels, attractions, and tourism partners to work more aggressively in the Canadian marketplace to convert the additional seats into visitor arrivals, saying the industry’s collective marketing efforts would determine whether the new services achieved long-term success.

The Canadian expansion comes as Jamaica continues rebuilding from Hurricane Melissa, which temporarily reduced hotel-room inventory and affected visitor arrivals. Despite those challenges, White said confidence among international airlines has remained strong, with several carriers maintaining or increasing service to the island as they bet on Jamaica’s continued recovery.

janet.silvera@gleanerjm.com