Kingston:—A first for TBY, The Business Year: Jamaica 2018, a publication that explores the ins and outs of the Caribbean island’s economy, is out now.

The Business Year: Jamaica 2018 is produced in official partnership with Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO) and opens with exclusive interview from the Prime Minister Andrew Holness, who celebrated that “the figures for 2017 will mark the fifth consecutive year of economic growth for the Jamaican economy and the highest employment level in the history of the country.”

The 150-page publication consists of face-to-face interviews conducted by the TBY team in Jamaica throughout 2017 and early 2018 with top executives from both the private and public sector spanning all areas of the economic and business landscape. Other interviewees include David Ducognon, General Manager, Total Jamaica; Wes Edens, Founder and Chairman, New Fortress Energy; Mervyn Eyre, CEO, Fujitsu Caribbean, Central America and Mexico; Eva Lewis, Citi Country Officer/Corporate and Investment Bank Head, Citi Jamaica.

Besides exclusive interviews, each sector-related chapter contains reviews and focus articles analysing the major events, opportunities, challenges and measures faced by the sectors’ key players, as well as infographics and analytics.

Jamaica’s global brand, first rate human capital, and excellent ties to neighboring countries have made it a surprisingly successful petri dish for innovation and scalability in recent years. In an effort to ensure a more favorable basket-to-egg ratio, Jamaica is working closely with the IMF to ensure its far-reaching Vision 2030 is a success. Prime Minister Holness commented, “Vision 2030 Jamaica presents a strategic roadmap for Jamaica to achieve developed country status by 2030 and is currently in its eighth year of implementation.”

Many of these elements are highlighted throughout our coverage. One focus for the publication was the gradual rise to fame of Montego Bay, a region hard at work building itself into a hub not just for tourism, but also for many other sectors, including manufacture. Officials are also trying to increase the portion of stopover travelers. Recent data put the annual increase of stopover visitors at over 100,000, but many think there is room to bring in even more, and to increase the average number of nights for stopover visitors.

Moreover, TBY Jamaica analytics, which reviewed all of the interviews conducted for The Business Year: Jamaica 2018 and examines trends and sentiment among the country’s business leaders. Revelatory statistics show that the 47.5% of interviewees would like to see tourism receive more FDI, while overall business confidence in the tourism sector was at an average of 4.27/5. Elsewhere, 42% of interviewees in the agriculture sector told us they were incorporating environmentally friendly practices into their industry, such as solar installations, and waste management.

Ayşe Valentin, TBY’s CEO, commented: “Our first publication in the English-speaking Caribbean proves to be a valuable source of information for all investors looking to explore opportunities in Jamaica. We are pleased to report on Jamaica’s undoubted period of transition, filled with potential. A new Jamaica, attractive to FDI and nurturing to homegrown entrepreneurial talent, is the aim, and early indications suggest that the country is well on the way to achieving them.”


The Business Year: Jamaica 2018 will reach an audience of 88,000 international subscribers and nearly 10,000 local readers, as well as being distributed at major conferences events that TBY partners with both locally and internationally, including the Nigeria International Petroleum Summit, the World Economic Forum, the World Future Energy Summit, the World Travel Market, and many more.

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The Business Year (TBY) a global media group specializing in economic news, research on national economies, and business intelligence across emerging markets. With operations in over 35 countries, we bring first-hand insights to investors, businesses, and governments worldwide. TBY’s interviewees, readers, and partners comprise an international network of thought-leaders who are helping to define the future of the global economy.

© Press Release 2018