Jamaica has climbed four places in the World Economic Forum's 2026 Travel & Tourism Development Index (TTDI), moving from 82nd to 78th among 110 economies evaluated.
The index, produced in collaboration with Zurich Insurance Group, assesses the conditions that support sustainable and resilient tourism development, including infrastructure, connectivity, digital readiness, safety and security, and natural and cultural resources.
According to Jamaica's Ministry of Tourism, the country recorded the largest improvement in ranking of any economy in the Americas and was the only one in the region to climb four places. Jamaica's overall score also increased by 2.3% compared with the 2024 edition.
Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett welcomed the results while speaking at the Tourism Awareness Week AI Youth Forum at Sandals Dunn's River.
"Moving from 82nd to 78th is not just four places — it is validation. For ten years I have watched this Index: 76th in 2015, 69th in 2017 — our best — 76th in 2019, 82nd in 2024, now 78th in 2026. The old index measured what we built — airports and hotel rooms. The new Beyond Tourism index measures what we survived — people, resilience, and retention. Jamaica built that," said the Minister.
Jamaica Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett greets staff during the Royalton Negril’s reopening (Photo Credit: Jamaica Tourist Board)
Jamaica's ranking has fluctuated over the past decade, reaching its highest position of 69th in 2017 before falling to 82nd in 2024.
Bartlett said the latest improvement reflects investments in the country's tourism infrastructure, workforce and destination development.
"This movement in the global competitiveness rankings is an important indicator that Jamaica is moving in the right direction. To rise four places in a highly competitive global tourism environment demonstrates that the investments we are making in our people, infrastructure, visitor experience, connectivity, resilience and destination development are producing measurable progress," said Minister Bartlett.
The TTDI measures the factors that support tourism development rather than visitor arrivals or tourism revenue. A higher ranking therefore does not necessarily indicate an increase in the number of tourists visiting a destination.
Bartlett said Jamaica's tourism strategy is shifting beyond visitor growth to focus on the industry's long-term competitiveness and its contribution to the broader economy.
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"Tourism competitiveness today is about much more than sun, sea and sand. It is about the quality of our human capital, the strength of our infrastructure, our ability to innovate, our digital readiness, sustainability, connectivity and the overall value proposition that we offer to visitors," the Minister said.
The improvement comes as Jamaica continues implementing its Tourism 3.0 framework, which focuses on innovation, workforce development, sustainability and strengthening connections between tourism and other sectors of the Jamaican economy.
Despite the four-place gain, Jamaica remains below its 2017 ranking, as the country works to strengthen its position in the global tourism market.
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