JAPEX 2018 a huge success - JHTA president

The 2018 Jamaica Product Exchange (JAPEX), held from September 23-25, was a huge success, Omar Robinson, president of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association has said.

The island's premier trade show for the hospitality and tourism sector, hosted annually by the JHTA, in association with the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), affords overseas and local industry representatives the opportunity to meet in a trade-floor setting to negotiate, discuss, and confirm arrangements to bring business to Jamaica.

Noting that "JAPEX 2018 welcomed over 200 tour operators, travel agents, and media partner delegates and 238 local supplier delegates", Robinson said that "there were over 1,000 business appointments. This is clear confirmation that Jamaica is not just relevant, but phenomenally attractive. There is a lot of competition in the tourism marketplace, lots of trade shows being hosted in old and new markets. So for JAPEX to attract this type of participation is a major vote of confidence in our product."

Among the buyer delegates were major tour operators like Air Canada Vacations, American Airlines, Delta Vacations, Apple Leisure Group, Expedia Inc, JetBlue Vacations, Perillo Tours, WestJet Vacations, and TravelClick.

A number of buyers came from Latin America, a response, Robinson said, "to our targeted efforts in those markets due to increased flights to Jamaica on COPA Airlines and anticipated additions from other carriers." COPA recently announced 11 weekly flights to the island.

Supplier delegates included the island's all-inclusive and European Plan hotels, adults-only and family-friendly resorts, as well as attractions, airlines, and ground tour operators.

Veena Rattan-King, sales executive, Caribbean Airlines, a first-time delegate to JAPEX, who journeyed from Barbados, for the event, said, "It was excellent, impressive, so well-organised."

She said that she "thoroughly enjoyed" the welcome reception hosted by the JHTA in association with the Ministry of Culture at the Montego Bay Convention Centre on Sunday and another, hosted by Sandals Montego Bay, on Monday, which featured popular artistes Wayne Marshall and Beenie Man.

"You really know how to sell this destination. The whole touch and feel of JAPEX makes you want to come back", Rattan-King declared.

Her Kingston-based colleague, Delia Bennett, declared: "Great satisfaction with scheduled meetings with buyers".

SO MUCH INTEREST IN JAMAICA

Buyer delegate Robert Wilmot of Fun Tours said, "We're very pleased. There is so much interest in Jamaica. We represent over 400 hotels, tours, and attractions, and we have the largest inventory for Jamaica on Expedia, and our company in the US supports us in marketing, and the networking benefits at JAPEX bring us face to face to our business."

Noting that he was able to meet with representatives of many of the tour operators and travel agents with which his company does business, Wilmot said, "JAPEX authenticates us."

Hoteliers Kerryann Quallo Casserly, director of sales and marketing, Royalton White Sands, and Nicola Madden Greig, director sales and marketing of the Courtleigh Group of Hotels, were also quite upbeat about expected results of JAPEX 2018.

Quallo Casserley said: "JAPEX is all about opportunity and engagement. We go to other trade shows, but to have the suppliers in country to do business and show off our properties is invaluable."

Madden Greig said: "This has been another great JAPEX. There were so many new buyers from Latin America. We were very pleased with the demonstrated interest in Kingston, in particular, from buyers, including those from the UK and the USA, and the travel agents had a good time touring the properties they have been doing so much to sell. We expect a further uptick in business for winter 2018 into next year."