|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Features |
From the Desk of the Director of Tourism Farewell Jamaica Basil Smith, Contributor The past two years have been tumultuous ones for the tourist industry marked by periods of unprecedented uncertainty. For me, the past two years has additional significance, as it marked the duration of my tenure as Jamaica's director of tourism. This column marks the last one I'll be doing in that capacity, so I welcome the opportunity to reflect on what has happened during that time. When recalling 2007, the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) has been foremost on my mind. On January 29, when United States (US) citizens were required to have a passport to re-enter their homeland, Jamaica's market in that country was reduced to 30 per cent of what it had been the day before. The Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) took the lead in developing strategies to encourage and assist US citizens to apply for their passports. 'guerrilla' tactics Our efforts were successful and some of the 'guerrilla' tactics we used earned praise from US authorities for their effectiveness. By June, it became evident that things were bottoming out, our arrivals having slipped by as much as 11 per cent at points during that period. On the heels of the WHTI came our general election. The trepidation with which that event was anticipated proved unwarranted and the exciting and close election provided Jamaica with a new government and the tourism portfolio with a new minister, Edmund Bartlett. The JTB welcomed the new minister's Spruce Up initiative, producing as it did a tidier face to Jamaica's resort areas. Our arrivals continued to rebound and we ended 2007 with an increase of 1.3 per cent over the previous year, against a regional estimate of a 2.7 per cent increase. Promotional trips across North America and Europe helped preserve our relationship with the travel trade. Then we turned our attention eastward and travelled to Japan and China to start the process of regaining traction in the former and making business contacts in the latter. As this year progressed, we resumed the growth trajectory we had enjoyed up to the WHTI and we set about meeting a very aggressive performance target set by the minister of tourism. But here we are again, face to face with unprecedented developments that could have a catastrophic impact on tourism, not just in Jamaica but worldwide. We have now scaled down our projections and expect to end the year with an increase of six per cent over last year. marketing With all of that, the JTB was equally active in what I like to describe as "marketing in the fourth dimension", by which I refer to using the Internet. In the marketplace we used online methods never used by Jamaica before and adapted our marketing to embrace new media in tandem with consumer trends. We have revolutionised the interaction between the JTB and its various publics through an extranet that goes by the acronym TIPS for Tourism Information Publishing Site (www.jtbonline.org) and more recently, we launched the new marketing site at www.visitjamaica.com. A third phase remains to close the loop, which I hope the JTB will put in place next year. That phase will place a remarkable web-based tool in the hands of our sales force and make Jamaica an even more formidable force in the field. Now, it is time to move on. I will be working for myself offering consulting services and focusing on a project for the next year for a major client elsewhere. It has been a privilege and honour to have served Jamaica in this capacity. I take this opportunity to thank all with whom I worked and offer the assurance that we will meet again. |
||||||||||||
All
rights reserved by the Gleaner Company Ltd.
© Gleaner
Company | Produced by Go
Jamaica
Hospitality Jamaica is updated every two (2) weeks
Privacy Policy