New figures from the Jamaican Tourist Board show the destination experienced its highest August UK visitor numbers since 2006 this year.
Arrivals for the month compared to August 2009 jumped by 13%, with 17,085 people heading for the Caribbean island.
In August 2006, 17,274 UK visitors travelled to the island.
The tourist board attributes the rise in numbers to its concerted social media campaign. It has created three new YouTube channels, launched a blog and manned two Twitter accounts. It also has a VisitJamaica Facebook page which has just chalked up 100,000 fans.
Said regional director of the Jamaica Tourist Board in the UK and Europe Elizabeth Fox: “It’s been a very turbulent year for the UK travel industry, however this significant increase in visitor figures shows that the UK travel market is still excited by everything that Jamaica has to offer.
“It also shows that even in times of austerity, an annual holiday is still required and still very popular, with Jamaica being a top destination of choice.”
The UK and Ireland represent a massive chunk of Jamaica’s important long haul markets and represent more than 10% of total visitor numbers to the island.
by Dinah Hatch
