Share The Article
Last Updated 2 days ago
Now that the world has started to move on from Covid, and more countries have reopened following two years of harsh rules, the first tourism statistics are in with some surprising results. The trendiest destination for 2022 is not Cancun, and definitely not former tourism leader Paris: Montego Bay, Jamaica, has claimed the top spot.
During the pandemic, most of the world came to a standstill as a majority of national governments resorted to lockdowns and travel curbs in a bid to slow down the virus. Consequently, the tourism industry was hit the hardest, namely in overly conservative places like Canada, where arrival figures have hit historical lows.
Interestingly, some countries are recovering much faster than others, and we may have found something in common between them:
According to the Outlook Report published by the World Travel Market (WTM), Jamaicas Montego Bay is the top city in terms of post-Covid recovery. The study, conducted by ForwardKeys, a company specializing in travel data, noted that the hub has experienced a positive growth of 23 per cent this summer, comprising the third yearly quarter, more than any other on the list.
This means Jamaicas once-secondary destination, after the metropolitan Kingston, is now perhaps the most sought-after vacation spot in the world, out of the twenty cities that appeared on this specific ranking. The studys conclusion should come as no surprise to some, seeing that, as soon as late 2021, Jamaica already outpaced other countries in arrival figures.
At the time, more specifically in November, demand for Jamaica stood at 38 per cent of 2019 levels still far lower than the pre-pandemic years, but much higher than the global average of 24 per cent. When this data came out, the Caribbean country still required incoming tourists to present a negative test for entry.
As of April 14, however, all mandates barring the entry of tourists have been fully scrapped, including that of testing, suggesting this new growth may be attributed to the lack of health regulations. While the latest report does not provide a precise comparison, it does assert that Montego Bay is one of the most resilient cities in the post-pandemic world, based on tourist numbers for summer 2022, and the pre-Covid 2019.
So now that Jamaica is open, and it has cemented its status as a freedom haven, why are so many travelers flocking into Montego Bay specifically, and not Kingston or Ocho Rios? Part of that may be attributed to a unique mix of busy city life and a picturesque seaside, making it a place where visitors can get the best of both worlds.
A majority of Montego Bay-bound vacationers are heading to all-inclusive resorts as well, and there are plenty of them to choose from, such as Sandals Montego Bay, Secrets St. James, and the phenomenal Jewel Grande Montego Bay Resort & Spa. In sum, the city simply has one of the best developed hospitality sectors in all of the Caribbean.
What about the other top destinations for 2022, though? The 3 best performing cities are:
Other cities in the top 5 include Cairo, the capital of Egypt, and Dehli, the number one city in India. The one thing all of these destinations, no matter how far from each other, have in common? They have removed all, or most of their Covid curbs, including mandatory vaccination for travel, pre-departure testing and quarantine.
With the exception of India, the one country on this list that continues to enforce stricter entry rules for non-vaccinated tourists, the remaining four have already reinstated their 2019 normal entry guidelines. This is further indication that travelers are opting for destinations where they will not face bureaucratic hurdles upon landing.
Jamaicas Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett sounded extremely pleased with the news, as he noted Jamaica is bouncing forward following the devastating impact of Covid. In the Ministers words, Jamaica is one of the most tourism dependent economies in the world, making the positive tourism trend very important for the island.
Airlines have been carefully watching Jamaicas booming travel market, also: just last month, Frontier added its fifth flight to the country and flash flight deals keep popping up, despite the ongoing aviation crisis. Perhaps unfortunately for some, the trendy Montego Bay is bound to be jampacked, especially now that the U.S. dropped its own testing rule for returning Americans.
If youre planning on visiting soon, you may want to secure those bookings in time before it sells out.
Read More:
Travel Insurance That Covers Covid-19 For 2022
Top 10 Friendliest Destinations for 2022
Avelo Airlines Expands To 29 Destinations With Introductory Fares Starting At $29
Delta Launches New Direct Flights To 3 Amazing Destinations
Princess Announces 47 Cruise Itineraries From U.S. And Canada For 2023
Join the community
TheTravel Off Path Community FB grouphas all the latest reopening news, conversations, and Q&As happening daily!
Enter your email address to subscribe to Travel Off Paths latest breaking travel news, straight to your inbox
Disclaimer: Current travel rules and restrictionscan change without notice. The decision to travel is ultimately your responsibility. Contact your consulate and/or local authorities to confirm your nationalitys entry and/or any changes to travel requirements before traveling. Travel Off Path does not endorse traveling against government advisories
Read more:
Why Montego Bay Is The Trendiest Destination For 2022 - Travel Off Path
- Seaching for Condors in the Andes - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Visiting "The Mayor" again - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- The fantasy boot in my dream of childhood - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Day 53 54 55 - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- www.acb.my - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- day 22 - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Hoover Dam Grand Canyon Byrce Canyon and another little incident... - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Amazing first week - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- It's Been Awhile - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Busan - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Existential Migration: Feeling at Home as the Foreigner - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Passport Chop - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Travel Photography with a Disposable Camera (it’s NOT an oxymoron) - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Miss Travel Girl - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Cape to Cairo - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Alison Travels - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- True Nomads - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- How the Economy Affected 16 Travellers in 2009 - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Do Travel Disasters Make the Best Travel Stories? - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- The Mother of All Trips - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- A story by Kudra Ricketts - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Auckland City - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Another Published Article Penny - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- A Sparkling Xmas Surprise Penny - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Sandboarding - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- The Way Of Make Money In Runescape - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Highway 1 California - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- cancun on thanksgiven - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- On tour with Louise and Zane 46 students - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Hvad vi har lavet siden Gili - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Thailand Check. Laos here we come. - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Team America - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Tour Operator of Bangladesh Sundarbans Adventure Tour Package - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- The Last Leg - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Dec 13 2009 - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Latest Border News - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- The Wandering Soul’s Wander Tales - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Adventure Rob - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- The Golden Papaya - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Support Passports with Purpose 2009 - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Vagabonding at 60 - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- The Books that Inspired Us to Travel in 2009 - December 14th, 2009 [December 14th, 2009]
- Zululand drakensberg Lesotho and the wild coast - December 14th, 2009 [December 14th, 2009]
- The Beautiful Higlands - December 14th, 2009 [December 14th, 2009]
- Loch Ness to Inverness and Culloden - December 14th, 2009 [December 14th, 2009]
- Aqaba The Little Merman - December 14th, 2009 [December 14th, 2009]
- Royal Deeside and the Castle Trail - December 14th, 2009 [December 14th, 2009]
- Southward in the Rain to Glamis Castle and Crail - December 14th, 2009 [December 14th, 2009]
- Iguassu Falls - December 14th, 2009 [December 14th, 2009]
- Stirling Castle and Edinburgh - December 14th, 2009 [December 14th, 2009]
- Edinburgh Old Town - December 14th, 2009 [December 14th, 2009]
- Galapagos II - December 14th, 2009 [December 14th, 2009]
- El Chalten and Fitz Roy Massif - December 14th, 2009 [December 14th, 2009]
- Semuc Champey - December 14th, 2009 [December 14th, 2009]
- Mechanical Problems in Flight - December 14th, 2009 [December 14th, 2009]
- "ACDC Tour Budapest without a satnav" - December 14th, 2009 [December 14th, 2009]
- Liat Airlines Stay Away - December 14th, 2009 [December 14th, 2009]
- Bariloche - December 14th, 2009 [December 14th, 2009]
- Lundi Macon - December 14th, 2009 [December 14th, 2009]
- Planning Australia Tour in Best way - December 14th, 2009 [December 14th, 2009]
- Family Fun In Breckenridge Colorado - December 14th, 2009 [December 14th, 2009]
- 5 Weeks in Australia - December 14th, 2009 [December 14th, 2009]
- The Movies and Music that Inspired Us to Travel in 2009 - December 16th, 2009 [December 16th, 2009]
- A wonderful Japanes experience - December 16th, 2009 [December 16th, 2009]
- So traveling again to a new part of the world - December 16th, 2009 [December 16th, 2009]
- Kangaroo roo roo a pinapple shake a tree.... - December 16th, 2009 [December 16th, 2009]
- Cutting wedding cost in the depression - December 16th, 2009 [December 16th, 2009]
- Pineapple Farm - December 16th, 2009 [December 16th, 2009]
- South India Chennai Pondicherry Auroville... - December 16th, 2009 [December 16th, 2009]
- Back to Amarpurkashi Village Life... - December 16th, 2009 [December 16th, 2009]
- MIA - December 16th, 2009 [December 16th, 2009]
- The most northern of Thailand - December 16th, 2009 [December 16th, 2009]
- Photo's - December 16th, 2009 [December 16th, 2009]
- Trip to Marleshwar - December 16th, 2009 [December 16th, 2009]
- Season's Greetings from Berkeley - December 16th, 2009 [December 16th, 2009]
- Small hiccup - December 16th, 2009 [December 16th, 2009]
- Thailand Laos and Vietnam in Three Weeks - December 16th, 2009 [December 16th, 2009]
- On the road again - December 16th, 2009 [December 16th, 2009]
- Part Two The Map Part Way in Cabal - December 16th, 2009 [December 16th, 2009]
- Heading Back North - December 16th, 2009 [December 16th, 2009]