Want to visit the sunny seaside? So do lots of other people. Many flocked to Jamaica’s beautiful beaches earlier this year. That’s good for hotels, guides, and others who work with tourists. But the crowds caused long lines and waits at the island’s main airport.

Edmund Bartlett works for Jamaica’s government. He helps manage tourism in the country. He says that the Sangster International Airport didn’t have enough staff to manage all the people coming through.

Mr. Bartlett counted how many people visited in January, February, and March. Most people come during that time of the year. Mr. Bartlett told the government that there were over one million arrivals during those three months. That’s the most ever in that period! And it’s a lot more than last year—94 percent more. Let’s say that 100 people came during that time in 2022. This year, there would be 194 people.  

Andrew Holness is Jamaica’s prime minister. He says officials want to attract five million visitors each year by 2025. That’s a big increase. About 3.7 million tourists came in 2022. That’s the most the country has ever had in a year.

Officials hope more visitors come from countries in Asia and the Middle East. Those places are far from Jamaica. Airlines use big planes for those long flights. The airport needs to be able to host those larger aircraft.

Workers are already making the Sangster airport bigger and more modern. They are lengthening the runway. They expanded waiting areas. The airport added 60 check-in kiosks. Those should help passengers get through check-in faster. The project is scheduled to finish by 2025.