JTB: Simply the best...JTB nabs Canadian tourism award

PHOTO BY JANET SILVERA - Jamaica Tourist Board sales representative Louise Paquette (centre) greets former Kiwanis Lt. Governor Las Lewis (right) of Division 23 during the recent Jamaica Night party in Montreal Canada. The event which was put on by the JTB and the Eastern Canada and Caribbean (EC&C) District Convention 2007 Committee saw Sandra Scott, regional director of the JTB Canada (second left), Bill Scott (left) and Distinguished Kiwanis Governor Elke McCumber having a whale of a time.

CANADIAN TRAVEL agents have selected the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) as the Best Tourist Board edging out the Mexico Tourist Board in the Canadian Travel Press/Travel Courier Agents' Choice Awards survey.

The award is given to the tourist board that accumulated the most votes from the 2,930 travel agents who participated in the seventh annual Agents' Choice Awards survey. The British Tourist Board, 'VisitBritain', which finished on top in all the previous surveys, finished third. Canadian Travel Press and Travel Courier are two of Canada's largest tourism trade publications.

"It has a lot to do with the services we offer. We are proactive, we always return the clients' calls and we get material out to the clients quickly," says Sandra Scott, regional director Canada, JTB. "This office and our representatives have put tremendous effort into growing the Canadian market and it is wonderful to see that our hard work is being recognised."

Representatives of the Jamaica Tourist Board have travelled extensively across the country holding seminars and talking with agents about the destination. Agents in the less populated provinces such as New Brunswick and Manitoba commented in the survey that they appreciate the visits, as other Tourist Boards tend not to visit them.

As of the end of April, more than 67,000 Canadians have visited Jamaica in the first four months of 2006.