Optimistic tourism outlook
Published:Monday | June 7, 2010 | 12:00 AM
Janet Silvera, Senior Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
Demonstrating confidence in 'Destination Jamaica', 33 meeting planners and incentive buyers representing 25 companies arrived here last Thursday, opening new frontiers to the US$120-140-billion meetings-and-incentives market.
The group, comprising representatives from the United States, Canada and Europe, attending the annual Jamaica Meeting Expo (JAMEX) is the first set of potential "ambassadors" with the capacity to commence repair to the damage that the recent unrest in Kingston dealt the country.
While on the island, planners did one-on-one business sessions with industry stakeholders at the Ritz-Carlton Rose Hall, were hosted at breakfast at RIU Montego Bay, ate at Half Moon and visited The Palmyra Resort and Spa, Secrets Resorts, Rose Hall Resort and Spa and a number of attractions.
Their trip to the island comes days after tourism minister Edmund Bartlett announced there would likely be a fall-out of US$350 million to the tourist industry, and precedes the completion of the new convention centre in the tourism capital, Montego Bay, St James.
The multibillion-dollar facility is scheduled to be opened in November.
"Group business is booked at least a year in advance, so these buyers are looking at 2011, 2012 and beyond," said Marcia Bullock-Jobson, regional director, groups and conventions, the Jamaica Tourist Board.
Resilience of the market
Noting that there were only six cancellations from participants on this trip, Bullock-Jobson said the response so soon after the unrest shows the resilience of the market.
"It reconfirms that today's travellers are mature and familiar with the Jamaican product, and are more intelligent about news."
Although the incident took place hours away from the resort areas of Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, Negril and Port Antonio, some of the hotels located in the aforementioned towns have received cancellations of bookings.
At least one of the JAMEX buyers, James Santella of Incentive Travel Planners, Illinois, admitted to inspecting the map of Jamaica to see where Kingston was located before coming here.
"But I was satisfied that the capital city was a few hours away from the resort areas," he told The Gleaner.
Santella, who works with mid-sized groups, namely companies involved in manufacturing, said coming to Jamaica has given him more options.
Another buyer, Michael Loj of MICETime, travelled 22 hours from Poland to experience the Jamaican product.
"Jamaica is a new destination for us, but we currently send a lot of incentive groups to the Dominican Republic, Cuba and Mexico," said Loj, revealing that he already had a 2011 group booked for Jamaica and will return later this year with some of his key clients to inspect the product.
His counterpart, Debbie Cotton-Burinski of Air Canada Vacations, who has an impressive listing of 25 groups booked to visit Jamaica, said her organisation's advantage is accessibility to the air seats.
"We fill our planes every day. Jamaica is a big market for us."
According to Cotton-Burinski, there have been no cancellations by any of her groups.