Jamaica is seeking to build its tourism linkages with India having recently lifted a ban on travellers from that Asian country.

Tourism Minister, Edmund Bartlett, who made the disclosure, explains that Jamaica is now in discussions with airlines that operate in India with a view of laying the groundwork for seamless tourism travel between both countries. Prior to the pandemic, Jamaica has a good promotional value in India.

The Minister remarked that, “we expect it will take some time to regain the footfall. We are actively working with many major airlines for developing new routes to travel to Jamaica and make the travel from India even more seamless. Airlines that connect India and the US are all on our roadmap for this goal.  

Jamaica is very keen to open new routes between the island and India, making the destination more accessible for Indian tourists.

The Tourism Minister added that his team is working with travel and hospitality partners to develop special offers for Indian travellers to restart tourism.   

He sought to assure all tourists coming to Jamaica including those from India of the ease in visiting the island in spite of the pandemic making reference to the resilient corridor, which was established to provide a very safe and seamless accommodation for tourists in the country.

Speaking with BWHotelier.com, the Tourism Minister advised that, “all a traveller needs to do is follow the protocols: a negative Covid-19 test taken no more than 72 hours before arrival in Jamaica; complete travel authorization form and get an approval to the entry and follow all other protocols like wearing a mask, proper sanitation.”

He was questioned about what hope does Jamaica aims to achieve during the six-month long association with the Dubai Expo 2020, Bartlett responded that, “we hope to position Jamaica as the most desirable and safe post-pandemic destination for a vacation.”

He added, “the Dubai Expo 2020 is the first mega-event post-pandemic which is truly global in scope and is helping overcome international reluctance to travel. We hope to connect with people and decision-makers from all over the world here to put Jamaica top of mind as a destination of choice for travellers. Tourism is a livelihood for Jamaica and we are at the Expo hoping to forge partnerships and alliances that help us strengthen our claim as a safe and beautiful leisure destination for global tourists.”