Jamaica rises from 82nd to 78th among 110 economies, recording the largest ranking improvement in the Americas
KINGSTON, Jamaica —Jamaica has climbed four places in the World Economic Forum’s Travel & Tourism Development Index (TTDI) 2026, moving from 82nd to 78th among 110 economies and recording the largest ranking improvement in the Americas.
Jamaica’s TTDI score increased by 2.3 per cent compared with the 2024 edition, strengthening the country’s position in global tourism competitiveness. The index, produced by the World Economic Forum 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.
Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, welcomed the improvement during the Tourism Awareness Week AI Youth Forum at Sandals Dunn’s River, saying it reflects Jamaica’s investments in tourism resilience, infrastructure, people, innovation and destination development.
“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,” Bartlett said.
Jamaica is the only economy in the Americas to climb four places in the latest ranking and now stands two positions higher than it did in 2019.
The TTDI measures the conditions that enable sustainable and resilient travel and tourism development rather than tourism performance itself. It does not measure visitor arrivals or tourism earnings.
“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,” Bartlett said.
He added that Jamaica’s tourism strategy is increasingly focused not only on attracting more visitors, but also on ensuring the destination remains competitive, resilient and relevant in a rapidly changing international marketplace.
“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 four-place improvement comes as Jamaica continues the strategic transformation of its tourism sector under its Tourism 3.0 framework, which places greater emphasis on innovation, human capital development, resilience and sustainability, while creating stronger linkages between tourism and the wider Jamaican economy.
The Ministry of Tourism and its public bodies will continue to use international competitiveness indicators to inform policy, strengthen destination management and guide investments aimed at maintaining Jamaica’s competitiveness in the global tourism marketplace.
Bartlett made the comments during the Tourism Action Club Youth Forum, part of Tourism Awareness Week activities. The forum brought together approximately 250 high school students from across Jamaica to explore how artificial intelligence and digital technologies are transforming tourism.
Held under the theme “AI and Digital Technologies: The Power of Curiosity,”the forum exposed young Jamaicans to emerging technologies and their potential role in shaping the future of the tourism industry.
Pictured: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, addresses Tourism Action Club members at the Tourism Awareness Week AI Youth Forum at Sandals Dunn’s River.
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