The island received 229,000 tourists from those destinations last year and wants to attract even more travelers through additional direct flights, for which general conditions will be improved, according to the official quoted by the Jamaica Observer newspaper.

The Kingston representative announced the projections at an exclusive media fair held at the Jamaican stand at the World Travel Market, which is being held in London since last Monday and until today.

Bartlett came along with the chairman of the Jamaica Tourist Board, John Lynch, and senior advisor to the Ministry of Tourism, Delano Seiveright, the report said.

The Caribbean country already welcomed a higher number of visitors in the first half of this year, increasing by nearly 70 percent compared to 2021, the newspaper reported.

These figures led to a record increase in profits to two billion dollars.

The island is set to welcome more than three million visitors by the end of the year, with foreign exchange earnings estimated at US$4.2 billion, the Jamaica Observer reported.

The World Travel Market in London, with around 5,000 exhibitors from 182 countries and regions and more than 51,000 participants, is one of the largest tourism fairs and facilitates industrial agreements worth 2.8 billion dollars, according to the source.

ef/abo/mem/ifs/kt