JAMAICA One Love
Record number of Canadians visited Jamaica during winter season

 
Tuesday, June 29, 2010/

www.caribbeannetnews.com

 

  

TORONTO, Canada (JIS) -- Over 130,000 Canadian visitors came to Jamaica during the 2009/10 winter tourist season, representing an increase of some 11 per cent over the same period of the previous season.

Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett, said this is the "strongest numbers" ever for Canadian visitors to Jamaica. He was speaking with a group of Canadian travel partners recently in Toronto.

The Minister said during the recent unrest in Jamaica, the tourism infrastructure remained unaffected and continues to be open to serve Canadian travellers.

"Despite some of the concerns last month, we have had a healthy spring and we have good indications for the summer," Bartlett told the group.

Reminding the travel partners that Jamaica is a safe destination for tourists, the Minister said the statistics reflected this fact, noting that crime against visitors is 0.1 per cent.

"Every year Jamaica welcomes millions of visitors from around the world, and the overwhelming majority of these visitors experience festivals, events, attractions and shopping completely free from incident," he explained.

Giving an update on Jamaica's tourism, Bartlett said growth, which has blossomed over the last decade, has continued. He also noted that Jamaica offers more attractions than any other Caribbean destination.

Turning to the Montego Bay Convention Centre, which is expected to be completed by January, the Minister said it is being designed as a modern state of the art facility, capable of hosting large and small meetings, conferences, exhibitions, banquets and other events.

"We will be able to host large groups of Canadians, like never before. The highly anticipated facility is being built on 35 acres of land, and is aimed at strengthening Jamaica's participation in the growing groups and convention market," Bartlett noted.

On the matter of Jamaica's two international airports, the Minister pointed out that they have both undergone upgrades.

"Jamaica is ready to welcome more visitors than ever before; process them efficiently and ensure that their vacation begins and ends with the high standard of excellence which they have come to know and expect from Jamaica," he said.
 
 

EXPERIENCE JAMAICA PROGRAM 2010 BRINGS FRESH EXCITEMENT TO KINGSTON

Over 100 tourism entities to offer discounts to Jamaicans

Lyndon Taylor

1-877-JTB-NEWS

jtbnews@ruderfinn.com

 

KINGSTON, JAMAICA – June 28, 2010 – The Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) has reintroduced the popular Experience Jamaica program to encourage Jamaicans to taste, see, feel and enjoy the country’s tourism product. The program was reintroduced with a simultaneous radio broadcast from the JTB’s Kingston offices. During the launch broadcasts, both passersby and call-in listeners were able to win prizes offered by participating tourism companies.

 

First introduced in 2009, the Experience Jamaica program uses customer education and value-added discount offerings to generate interest in and use of the tourism facilities available on the island, including accommodations, attractions, transportation and shopping. This year the number of participating entities totals over 100, with discounts ranging from 5 percent to more than 50 percent. This is a marked increase in the number of participating companies from 2009, which peaked at 65 participating entities. All six resort areas are represented in the program.

 

“This is the start of the summer period when many Jamaicans come home to visit friends and family, and local school groups also organize day trips for their students. Plus, with the Emancipation and Independence holidays just a few weeks away, this is an excellent time to offer discounts to our people,” commented Director of Tourism John Lynch. “We are convinced that the Experience Jamaica program will offer excellent value to Jamaicans while driving business to our industry partners.”

 

The Deputy Director of Tourism with Responsibility for Marketing David Shields commented on the significance of launching the program in the capital city, “Kingston is culturally rich – boasting over 30 attractions including the Bob Marley Museum, Hope Gardens and the newly renovated Devon House – plus this summer will see several major events taking place in the area. The Experience Jamaica Program will highlight all of these facilities and will give all Jamaicans a chance to enjoy our homeland.”

 

The Experience Jamaica Program will feature a strong media campaign coupled with community road shows with tourism partners showcasing their offerings. The 2010 program will run from now through December. The JTB projects that once Jamaican consumers access the value added discounts, they will want to experience the offerings time and again.

 

About the Jamaica Tourist Board

The Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), founded in 1955, is Jamaica’s national tourism agency based in the capital city of Kingston. The JTB was declared the Caribbean’s Leading Tourist and Convention Bureau by the World Travel Awards (WTA) from 2006 to 2009, while Jamaica earned the WTA’s vote as the World’s Leading Cruise Destination, the Caribbean’s Leading Destination and the Caribbean’s Leading Cruise Destination, for the third consecutive year.

           

JTB offices are located in Kingston, Montego Bay, Miami, Toronto and London. Representative offices are located in Düsseldorf, Barcelona, Rome, Amsterdam and Tokyo. 

 

For details on upcoming special events, attractions and accommodations in Jamaica go to the JTB’s Web site at www.visitjamaica.com, or call the Jamaica Tourist Board at 1-800-JAMAICA (1-800-526-2422). Follow the JTB on Facebook at www.facebook.com/jamaica, on Twitter at www.twitter.com/visitjamaicanow or on YouTube at www.youtube.com/aboutjamaicajtb.