By Andrew Green, Staff Reporter 
Regional boundaries are falling for Jamaican vacationers as Air Jamaica and local hotel chains penetrate the Caribbean. - File
ONE SIGN of the change is that in the last two years, air fares to Cuba have doubled, as Jamaicans have got more comfortable with the destination.
Jamaicans looking for a vacation are increasingly looking to the Caribbean, says Andrew Brown, sales and operations co-ordinator at Chin Yee's Travel Service. They are concerned about terrorism threats as well as the inconvenience of travelling to the North American mainland.
"Many insist on flying Air Jamaica because of security concerns," Mr. Brown said. "There are a lot of people with serious concerns about travelling to the States."
The fare increase to Cuba is significant as it was the cheapest foreign destination for local holidaymakers. The route was developed by Cubana and Air Jamaica, opening up a new market for travellers.
A source at Cubana said the airline had withdrawn from the route because they found that locals shied away from the propeller driven aircraft which Cubana had flown on the route. Cubana now books passengers on Air Jamaica flights, rather than using its own aircraft.
"People are prepared to pay more where they are more comfortable," Mr. Brown said. "They dread the small planes."
The resulting monopoly for Air Jamaica has seen prices on the local carrier move from about US$200 in the year 2000 to the current level US$406, including taxes. Mr. Brown said it is thus more expensive to travel to Cuba than to Florida as a flight to Fort Lauderdale would cost about US$388 now.
"When there is no competition, airlines make decisions unilaterally," Mr. Brown said. Unlike the Miami route, there are no special fares to Cuba.
The increased loyalty of Jamaicans to their national carrier means that the opening of its Montego Bay hub as a regional travel centre five years ago is also pulling Jamaicans along into new travel directions.
Air Jamaica currently flies to more than 12 Caribbean destinations and offers a three island hop for US$550 through its Montego Bay hub.
The cheapest foreign holiday open to Jamaicans this summer is to Curacao, Mr. Brown said. A double-occupancy stay at a SuperClubs property there for three nights, costs US$388, inclusive of airfare via Air Jamaica.
Jamaicans are increasingly travelling around the region, he said. This is a trend which has increased, as the September 11 attacks in the United States has made that destination a somewhat less attractive prospect for locals.
Jamaicans may travel extensively to North America, but among Caribbean people, they are among the least likely to visit other regional states.
Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) data show that in its population of 2.5 million, only 48,300 travelled to another Caribbean territory in the year 2000. With a population about one tenth that of Jamaica, over 100,000 Barbadians travelled to another regional territory in the same year.
With half the population of Jamaica, 113,700 people from Trinidad and Tobago travelled to another Caribbean territory in the same year.
Figures from the CTO showed the main destination for Jamaicans was the Cayman Islands, with 20,323 visits in 2000. Trinidad and Tobago was second most popular destination with 6,255 visits while Barbados was third with 5,972 visits.
"People are asking about Tortola and other places in the Caribbean we hardly saw before," Mr. Brown said. "Jamaicans are discovering the Caribbean."
And even Cuba, where the airfare has doubled, may not be as expensive as it first appears. A three-night stay at Breezes Varadero costs US$575, inclusive of airfare with double occupancy. In the last two years the airfare has doubled, but the overall cost of a similar vacation has increased by just about 25 per cent.
