Jamaica to Lose $449 Million to Canada's Flight Ban

Photo: The New York Times

The decision to cancel all flights to the Caribbean until April 30, announced by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last week, caught many in Jamaica's tourism industry off guard. 

Jamaica's government, along with industry and private partners, had just completed a mad rush to provide a new testing and quarantine system to accommodate North American requirements that visitors return with negative COVID-19 results. 

In an interview with CBC News, Jamaican Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett said he was surprised by the extent of the measures Canada took, though he recognized that countries must do what they can to manage the pandemic domestically.

"Yes, it is painful. Yes, it is difficult and it is causing us some unintended consequences, because I know that Canada has no real intention of hurting Jamaica," Bartlett said.

Up to 200,000 Canadians visit Jamaica during the peak winter season. Losing that number of visitors will cost the island nation hundreds of millions of dollars, an impact that will be felt across the country.

Mr. Bartlett estimates Canada's decision to cancel flights to the region will cost his country $350 million US ($449 million Cdn). That estimate is based on what the country would see during a regular peak winter season, when Jamaica welcomes between 175,000 - 200,000 Canadians. 

"What we are doing here is to hope and pray that Canada will get through this very quickly so that we can return to the normal course of our trade relations," said Bartlett.

Jamaica's tourism industry lost $508 million US last year because of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Tourism and related industries contribute to 34 per cent of the country's gross domestic product and employ 20 percent of its workforce.

Source: CBC