Jamaica Tourist Board celebrates 70th anniversary
April 16, 2025
The first year after the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) became an arm of the Jamaican government in April 1955, the island welcomed about 100,000 visitors.
In 2024, over 4.3 million travellers visited the destination, resulting in a total tourism revenue of US$4.3 billion.
At a celebration in Toronto on April 14 to mark the JTB’s 70th anniversary, Director of Tourism Donovan White noted that Canada has been a significant contributor to the success of Jamaica’s tourism sector which employs 26.2 percent of the population.
“The significance of what we do to the well-being of Jamaica and Jamaicans is very important and I say that without hesitation,” he pointed out.
Last year, the island welcomed over 400,000 stopover visitors which was 6.2 percent more than the previous year and 48 percent more than 2022.
Ontario is the largest Canadian market with over 277,000 visitors yearly and 42 percent of Canadian visitors returning to Jamaica, making them a very loyal group of travellers to the western Caribbean island.
“We owe a great deal of success to the ever-expanding Canadian market,” said White. “Canadians have consistently been among the most loyal travellers to Jamaica.”
The Quebec market has also been steadily growing.
Last year, there was a 23 percent increase over the past year with about 60,000 visitors holidaying on the island.
Jamaica will launch a new weekly flight from Quebec City to the island next winter, starting on December 6.
“Over the last five years, we have been reaching out to our partners to walk with us to Quebec City,” White said. “I have to tell you that one of them has decided to invest with us.”
The late Abe Issa and John Pringle played leading roles in the establishment of the JTB seven decades ago.
Issa, the JTB’s first Chairman who died in 1984, spearheaded an aggressive global marketing campaign that saw arrivals increase from nearly 86,000 tourists and four million pounds in 1955 to about 227,000 tourists and 38 million pounds in revenue by the time Jamaica achieved independence in 1962.
The owner of the Round Hill Hotel that hosted John F. Kennedy before his inauguration as America’s 35th President in 1961 and actors Paul Newman and Grace Kelly, Pringle was Jamaica’s first Director of Tourism from 1963 to 1967.
The cousin of former Island Records owner Chris Blackwell also served as Jamaica’s Tourism Minister from 1989 to 1992 and Honourary Ambassador before his death in December 2006.
Angella Bennett, the JTB Regional Director in Canada, acknowledged the pioneers who paved the way for Jamaica’s tourism to grow and flourish.
Angella Bennett (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
“Few could imagine the journey ahead,” she said. “From welcoming just over 100,000 visitors annually in the 1950s to now boasting millions of arrivals per year, our evolution has been nothing short of remarkable. Their foresight transformed a small Caribbean island into the world’s most beloved destination. We stand on their shoulders tonight as we continue to innovate and elevate the Jamaica experience. As we look to the future, we remain committed to sustainability and sustainable tourism that benefits both visitors and the Jamaican population.”
Canada, Bennett added, has always held a special place in the journey, consistently ranking among Jamaica’s top three source markets.
Jamaica’s Consul General in Toronto Kurt Davis recognized the importance of the tourism sector to the Jamaican government.
Kurt Davis (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
“Celebrating this significant milestone is a reflection of years of tireless, strategic, diligent and exciting work to grow and sustain one of Jamaica’s prime industries and at the same time contribute to national development,” he said. “Jamaicans around the world and all stakeholders can be justly proud of the significant impact the JTB has had over the last 70 years, effectively delivering its core mandate of always positioning Jamaica as the pre-eminent Caribbean tourism destination that delivers value for the people and government of Jamaica and the tourism industry stakeholders.”
Jamaica’s Director of Tourism Donovan White (c) with the JTB team in Canada. From left are Jackie Marshall, Sedrecia Francis who is the Business Development Manager in Western Canada based in Calgary, Administrative Assistant Judy Nash, Regional Director Angella Bennett, Business Development Manager Racquel Queensborough, District Sales Manager Dan Hamilton and Indira Tarachandra who is the Assistant to the Regional Director (Photo contributed by the JTB/George Pimentel)
Jamaica’s Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett has built on the pioneers’ legacy, revitalizing and expanding the tourism sector while positioning it as a global leader in innovation and resilience.
To mark the JTB’s platinum jubilee, award-winning chef Noel Cunningham created a grip cake filled with Jamaican coffee, zesty lime and rum.
Award-winning chef Noel Cunningham (r) with Jamaica’s Tourism Director Donovan White and JTB Regional Director in Canada Angella Bennett (Photo contributed by JTB/George Pimentel)
He said decorating the cake took about four hours.
“It was a really busy weekend for me (he presented at the annual Toronto Food & Drink Fest at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre), but I could not miss the opportunity to do this for my birth country,” said Cunningham who made the 2024 Top 25 Canadian Immigrant list.
Tourism in Jamaica began in the late 1890s with the launch of the Myrtle Bank Hotel in Kingston and the Titchfield Hotel in Port Antonio, catering to North Americans and Europeans seeking relief from the harsh winters.
