Jamaica’s tourist stopover arrivals in March 2021 fell 33.8 percent, with 37,545 fewer arrivals than 2020, resulting in 73,646 stopover arrivals in March from the 111,191 arrivals in March 2020, but the 2020 numbers were well down on March 2019 with 271,742 stopover arrivals.
Arrivals for January to March decreased 72 percent, with 161,275 stopovers, 412,856 less than 574,131 in 2020.
The actual numbers out of the Jamaica Tourist Board for March this year, are in line with ICInsider.com’s projections that the month would end up around 75,000.
Data on airport traffic for Jamaica shows Sangster International Airport, the entry point that best mirrors the trend in visitor arrivals to the country handling 22 percent more passenger movements in April, over March this year suggesting that visitor arrivals for April, year should be closer to 95,000 and that would be well up on the 43,798 stopover tourist arrivals to Jamaica in February that data from the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) show, as well as substantially up on March this year, as well.
JBT reports stopover arrivals from the United States market declined just 8.3 percent in March 2021, with 71,789 arrivals compared to 78,318 in March 2020.
For the January to March period, the US market declined by 59.7 percent with 152,102 arrivals.
While the overall visitor numbers are down, the length of stay rose. The average length of foreign national arrivals in March 2021 was 8.3 nights, up 15 percent from 7.2 nights in March 2020. The average length of stay in hotels was 6 nights in March 2021, compared to 5.9 nights in March 2020.
The average length of stay of Non‐ Resident Jamaican arrivals jumped a very significant 29 percent in March 2021 to 20.8 nights from 16.1 in March 2020.  A 10 percent rise in the average length of stay in hotels in March 2021 resulted in 7.7 nights, up from 7 nights in March 2020. The average length of stay for Foreign National in all types of accommodations rose nearly 30 percent for the March 2021 quarter to 10.1 nights compared to 7.8 nights in 2020. For the Non‐Resident Jamaican arrivals, the average length of stay was rose 54 percent to 24.2 nights from 15.6 nights in 2020.