JA remains a celeb magnet

Jamaica is attracting the likes of Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Afrobeats star Burna Boy to its shores at this time of year. The island is always a hot spot for celebs at Christmas, especially Americans. Actress Tracee Ellis Ross was there as well as Cardi B and her husband rapper Offset.

Trudeau headed to Jamaica over Christmas for a one-week vacation with his family. It’s a working stay as Trudeau will remain in constant contact with Ottawa during the trip and continue to be briefed and updated on issues.

His officials have checked with the federal ethics commissioners in advance of the travel to make sure it follows guidelines. Trudeau was found to be in violation of conflict-of-interest rules in 2017 after a 2016 vacation he took to the Aga Khan’s private island in the Bahamas.

Then the family’s flights to and from Costa Rica over the Christmas holiday in 2019 cost the government about $57,000 and thousands more were spent on flight crews’ stay in San Jose.

Trudeau had to fly to Jamaica on a Royal Canadian Air Force plane for security reasons, even though it’s for personal travel.

Meanwhile, Burna Boy is so in love with Jamaica he is looking to buy a home there, while he is also expected to return next year for another vacation.

The Nigerian international music sensation, whose real name is Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu, left Jamaica last week from Montego Bay. Burna Boy and his entourage headed to Lagos, Nigeria on a private jet for the 11-hour journey.

On leaving, Burna Boy was met by Jamaican government officials Delano Seivewright and Odette Dyer who presented him with local souvenirs. He vacationed at Tryall Club and partied at Yush, Taboo and 2727 in Montego Bay after wowing fans with a performance at the National Stadium. He also spent time in Kingston. Burna Boy professed his love for the island and its people to Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett.

Also in Jamaica was Governor of Maryland, Wes Moore, who departed after spending time at Rose Hall, St James over Christmas.

Caribbean hopes are high that the recovery from over two years of Covid will continue with robust growth into 2023 and beyond. The Cayman Islands is certainly recovering well with its tourism numbers, especially in the cruise industry, judging by the frequency of ships visiting over the festive season.

Most Caribbean countries continue to show a strong recovery in visitor arrivals compared with other regions of the world, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organisation’s latest data. Visitor arrivals in the Caribbean though July 2022 reached 82% of the same time period in 2019, while global arrivals stood at 57% in the same timeframe.

The Dominican Republic is the most buoyant with the US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Curacao, Turks & Caicos, Aruba and Antigua and Barbuda making the biggest recoveries.