Tourism

One of the gifts that Jamaica has brought to the world is the concept of the all-inclusive resort. This concept is said to have started with the first all-inclusive Sandals resort in Montego Bay in 1981. All-inclusives revitalized the tourist industry with their idea that visitors could be flown straight into Montego Bay.

More than one million tourists visit Jamaica (outside link) each year, making it the second biggest destination in the Caribbean after the Bahamas. Tourism pumped more than one billion into the economy in 1998, and still continues to boost the economy and provide 84,000 needed jobs for Jamaicans.

Through tourism, the infrastructure of the north coast has improved greatly and so has the number of foreign investors that are continually attracted to the island. Good marketing has kept the island competitive on the world market (the Jamaica Tourist Board oversees the operations of the industry) and has presented the island as a popular destination for springbreakers and honeymooners.

Three-quarters of the visitors to Montego Bay come from the United States and Canada, with the remnant coming from Europe and an increasing number from Japan.