MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica; Tuesday, September 30, 2025: Promoting Jamaica as a ‘love destination,’ the Ministry of Tourism is seeking to increase the island’s share of the lucrative global wedding services market, which is projected to reach US$368 billion by 2030.
With destination weddings comprising one of the fastest growing segments and increasing by 40% over the last five years, Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett is looking to professional wedding planners for support stressing that “it is time for us to start positioning ourselves to secure a bigger share of that US$368 billion.” He wants weddings to double their current contribution to arrivals and earnings in Jamaica.
Minister Bartlett outlined that Jamaica is targeting 8 million visitors by 2030 and being “confident that we are well positioned so to do,” he expressed his belief that “this trend presents an unprecedented opportunity for our tourism sector to diversify and strengthen our economic foundation, while showcasing the natural beauty and cultural richness that make Jamaica truly special.”
Speaking at the just concluded two-day Jamaica Bridal Expo at the Montego Bay Convention Centre over the weekend, Minister Bartlett told bridal suppliers, travel advisors, tour operators and trade media that their expertise, creativity and commitment to excellence would determine how successful the country capitalizes on the growing market.
“We recognize that success in the destination wedding market requires seamless collaboration … and this expo provides the perfect platform for forging those partnerships and creating the comprehensive packages that modern couples demand,” he told the attendees.
Minister Bartlett said the Bridal Expo was a celebration of love, the human intelligence that cannot be replicated by mechanical intelligence “because love is born of emotion and only human beings, not machines, can have emotions.” He told the destination wedding promoters that “we want the world to know that Jamaica is the place where that vibe is, where that emotion is the strongest.”
Emphasizing that “we want to drive weddings as a major part of the offerings in Jamaica,” Mr. Bartlett told the bridal expo audience that like them, Jamaica was looking beyond their source market of North America and was going heavily into India, Central and South America.
Minister Bartlett promised that “Jamaica is going to develop an unmatched wedding advantage and we’ll be looking closer at how to incentivize that area and how to provide more support for our partners who are in the wedding business.”
