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By Alecia Smith-Edwards

KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) -- Minister of Tourism and Entertainment, Dr Wykeham McNeill, said that in promoting growth in the tourism industry, greater emphasis must be placed on earning more from visitors to Jamaica.

He noted that for too long, “when talking about the tourism sector, we talk about growth in arrival figures…what we need to focus on now…is not just these figures…what we want to do is not just to bring more people to Jamaica, but we want to earn more from those people that come to Jamaica."

The minister was addressing an investments and capital markets conference on Wednesday in New Kingston, where he spoke on the topic: ‘The Tourism Sector: Help or Hindrance to Employment and the Agricultural Sector?’

Providing statistics, McNeill said the country earns approximately US$2 billion per year from the approximately 1.9 million stopover visitors, who spend about US$115 daily, and 1.1 million cruise passengers, who spend US$90 per day.

He said that these visitors should be encouraged to spend more, including visiting attractions and purchasing goods and services.

“The more attractions they visit, the more they feel the need to spend money on the heritage and culture of Jamaica. The more events we host in Jamaica, the more they spend, the better it is, so we need to maximize on the visitors that are coming,” he stated.

He noted, however, that the offerings must be Jamaican, so that the money spent is retained in the island.

“The greater the percentage of the tourist dollar that is spent on goods and services produced in Jamaica, the greater the overall retention of earnings from tourism. This will enable tourism to have a more substantial impact on the local economy. Subsequently, this would lead to more Jamaicans from a wider cross section of the economy benefiting from tourism -- a key requirement for the sustainable growth of the industry,” he stated.

McNeill contended further that once visitors experience the authentic Jamaica, they will share their experience with friends and families, and this will help to bring more people to the island.

Hosted by the Jamaica Stock Exchange, the three-day regional conference, now in its seventh year, is being held under the theme: ‘Forging Alliances: Opportunities Amidst the Crises’.

Geared towards the business community, the conference focuses on areas of local, regional and global interest by discussing how economies can be positioned to capitalise on any opportunity presented, and how organisations can facilitate the growth and development of countries.

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