MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica – Underscoring the importance of tourism to Jamaica’s economic life, Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon Andrew Holness has announced that strategic steps are being taken to enhance the Jamaica’s tourism image and brand as a tourist destination.
Chairman of the Tourism Linkages Network and Executive Chairman of Sandals Resorts International, Adam Stewart (left); Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon Andrew Holness (centre) and Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett pause for the lenses at the Sandals Jamaica Love sales event, which showcased Sandals and Beaches as authentic Caribbean resorts, at the Montego Bay Convention Centre on Wednesday, October 16, 2024.
“A lot is being said about Jamaica, and the messaging about Jamaica can at times be dissonant,” he said, elaborating that, “Jamaica sun, sea and sand, Jamaica no problem, beautiful beaches, but yet you have what I describe as noise in the environment that can take away from that message,” the Prime Minister said.
Addressing a historic mega showcase, dubbed the Sandals Jamaica Love sales event, with some 1,000 travel advisors, company top management and public and private sector stakeholders at the Montego Bay Convention Centre (MBCC) Thrusday (October 17), Prime Minister Holness said: “Whenever that happens it is important that you look not just at what is being said about you, but we need to be very clear about what we are saying about ourselves.”
In addition to sun, sea and sand, he stated that there was a desire for Jamaica to be known for safety; security; sustainability and seamlessness; service and satisfaction. “What we’re trying to do is to add depth to our product, add more dimensions to it, and Jamaica has the raw materials to do it. We have to be very strategic and deliberate in getting it done,” he assured. He felt that “the investments that we’re making in our country are at the point where they will start to yield even greater results than the effort that we’ve put in.”
Stressing the importance of the initiative, Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett lauded the travel advisors for making tourism the number one economic activity in Jamaica over the last 30 years, adding that the sector has grown consistently every year at the rate of 3 percent per annum, higher than the gross domestic product (GDP) rate of growth.
Garth Sinclair, aka “Necktie Gentleman” shows off his skill with the coconut at the Sandals Jamaica Love sales event which showcased Sandals and Beaches resorts on Wednesday, October 16, 2024, as the authentic Caribbean resorts of choice. Sinclair has been selling coconuts for the past 43 years.
Jamaica’s Tourism image
Elaborating on the recovery and growth of tourism post-COVID, Minister Bartlett told the travel advisors that global tourism was at a record high in relation to travellers and earnings and that “Jamaica, because of you will make new records too; small increment but it’s important. We’re going to close this year at 4.3 million visitors, the highest in our history, and earn US$4.5 billion.”
He also projected that next year “we will hit our target of 5 million visitors earning US$5 billion for the people of Jamaica” and expressed thanks to the travel advisors “for enabling us to reach that threshold, for enabling us to now have 175,000 direct workers and some 350,000 workers across Jamaica who are connected with tourism indirectly or induced, and that represents 24 percent of the workforce of Jamaica.”
