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JAMAICA'S TOURISM OFFICIALS GATHER AT JAPEX - Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett (third right) caught up with a number of Jamaica's tourism officials during the just-concluded Jamaica Product Exchange (JAPEX) at the Half Moon Resort in Montego Bay. From left to right: Jennifer Griffith, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Tourism; Carrole Guntley, director general in the Ministry of Tourism; Wayne Cummings, president of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA); Donnie Dawson, deputy director of tourism at the Jamaica Tourist Board, Sales; Minister Bartlett; Camille Needham, executive director of the JHTA and John Lynch, director of tourism and chairman, JTB.

Tourist board to organise JAPEX Latin America

Barrington Flemming, Hospitality Jamaica Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:

The Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) is making its move to snag a mammoth share of the Latin America market with the hosting of Jamaica Product Exchange (JAPEX) Latin America in Montego Bay from October 7-11, 2010.

Director of Tourism John Lynch told Hospitality Jamaica on Monday that tourism stakeholders in Latin America were exempt from JAPEX last year because of the high incidence of swine flu in the region.

"When brought together, the Latin American market, with the other buyers, could serve as a developing market. What you find is that a lot of those buyers from Latin America have never been to Jamaica," he explained.

familiarisation

"This is going to be like a familiarisation to Brand Jamaica as well."

JAPEX will be hosted at Iberostar Resort in Montego Bay, and will expose tour operators to workshops with tourism stakeholders and attraction tours.

Montego Bay-based tour operator Fred Smith of Exclusive Holidays is very optimistic about the initiative.

"I think that it is a market that is long overdue and has been neglected. It has vast potential, especially for summer traffic. Whenever you go into those markets into the summer months, you can hardly get flights ... and Brazil will be a fair gateway to connect to the countries in that market," he told Hospitality Jamaica.

Director Lynch noted that visitors from Latin America and Eastern Europe are more environmentally-conscious, and Jamaica's green tourism could be another big sell for the country.

"We are looking at the airlift out of Eastern Europe with connections in Italy and places like Dusseldorf, Estonia, and Belgium."

He added that the JTB is also looking to establish airlifts out of Brazil and Russia.

"We will be attending Roots, som ething similar to JAPEX, in Europe to sell to them why they should fly to us here in the Caribbean," said Lynch.

"Jamaica has quietly become a very easy place to get to from places in Europe, as there are connections in the United States."