Over 100 passengers and crew arrived in Jamaica last Saturday aboard Southwest Airlines’ inaugural flight from Kansas City, Missouri in the United States to Montego Bay.
The visitors received a warm welcome at the Sangster International Airport from tourism officials, among them was Edmund Bartlett, Minister of Tourism, who expressed his appreciation for the new service to the country.
“The excitement of the passengers was amazing. This flight brings to the reality of how connected Jamaica as a destination is in the United States. We cover 18 gateways that connect us to over 100 cities across the US,” Bartlett said.
He added that as Jamaica expands its inventory with 2,000 new rooms, he is confident that Jamaica will welcome three million stopover visitors next year.
Director of Tourism at the Jamaica Tourist Board Donovan White expressed his optimism for the future of tourism in Jamaica.
“This new flight to Montego Bay is symbolic of the great things to come for the tourism industry. We have achieved a lot so far, and we look forward to additional flights that will help us to reach Minister Bartlett’s projected target of five million visitors and US$5 billion in earnings by 2025,” he noted. White added that he welcomed all the passengers for the inaugural flight and expressed gratitude for the visitors making Jamaica their preferred destination to visit.
The airline will be offering non-stop weekly flights from Kansas City to the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay.
Jamaica is projected to welcome 3.88 million visitors in 2023, with estimated earnings of US$4.2 billion.
Source: Loop News: https://jamaica.loopnews.com/content/jamaica-welcomes-southwest-airlines-inaugural-flight-kansas-city
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