Jamaica

Fast Facts

Jamaican national flag

Location: Caribbean Islands

Capital: Kingston

Population: 2.96 million (2020)

Government Type: Parliamentary Democracy

Language: English

Climate: Tropical Rainforest

Gross Domestic Product: USD $25.89 billion

Human Development Index: 0.734 (High, 2019)

Overview

This is a country which, despite its size and relatively small population, everyone has heard of. Everyone knows about Jamaican reggae music, which has been popularised throughout the world thanks to the fame of individuals such as Bob Marley. In 2021, the country hosted over 1.5 million overnight tourists - nearly one visitor for every two local residents. It’s no secret that Jamaica is a celebrated nation that people are keen to visit - but what are some of the less known aspects of the country that the tourism industry may not show - intentionally or otherwise?

History

Jamaica’s colonial flag under British rule

Jamaica’s history is as long as any other country’s. Prior to the arrival of Europeans, the island was populated by a group of indigenous peoples known as the Taino. Jamaica then came under the control of Spain, to be populated by slaves, before being conquered by Great Britain and renamed Jamaica. The colony served as a major exporter for sugar, like many of its neighbors in the Caribbean, and in an effort to drive out Spanish influence, the British hired pirates as mercenaries (known as privateers) to harass and steal from Spanish ships in the 17th and 18th centuries. By the mid 19th century however, the growth of other industries and abolition of slavery in the empire made the sugar industry less competitive, and allowed room for more social freedoms in Jamaica. By the early 1900s, nationalist movements led by Marcus Garvey had led to the sufficient (if forced) expansion of civil rights to the establishment of a full internal democracy, with independence being formally recognised by Great Britain in 1962 as part of the global decolonisation movement. Queen Elizabeth II retains a ceremonial Head of State title in Jamaica, as with many other Commonwealth states.

Economy

At a glance, the country’s economy is unstable. The GDP growth trends are in a state of constant flux. In the space of one year alone (1972-73), the economy’s growth rate fell by an astonishing 23.5% due to a slowdown in the global economy, causing a further knock-on effect of a decline in tourism to Jamaica. Major aluminum producers also left the country, leading the government to foster the growth of small business and private enterprises instead. Another crash occurred in the 1990s caused by financial issues and a severe drought, and another in 2020, likely due to the extreme impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the tourism industry and global economy writ large.

Tourism - and its Implications Beyond the Beach Resorts

Credit: Eduardo Velazco Guart

As mentioned within the Overview, Jamaica is an overwhelmingly popular tourism destination for over one million people per year. In times of socio-economic stability, tourism can be (and is) an excellent boost to an economy - whether it applies to a developing economy or not. Specifically within the Caribbean, the tourism industry accounts for as much as over 70% of the GDP of some countries. But although the Jamaican economy isn’t completely vulnerable to price fluctuations on a single or small number of natural resources (as many countries, especially developing ones, are), the country’s dependence on the tourism industry leads to severe economic issues in times of crisis, as holidays abroad are often one of the first things cancelled when budgets are tightened. Forbes also points out that the environmental impact of tourism on these islands - Jamaica included - can account for as much as 97% of total emissions from smaller regional nations such as Dominica, with many of these emissions coming from hotels and air travel specifically.

Trivia

Jamaica’s national flag is the only one in the world to not contain the colours red, white, or blue.

One third of all Jamaicans live within Kingston, the capital city

Sir Ian Fleming wrote all of his James Bond novels while living in Jamaica