THE EDITOR, Sir:
I HAVE been following with great interest, the debate over the proposed changes in the way the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) does its business. It makes me a bit sad to see us bogged down in this parochial exercise, while the destination's presence in the market place is limp, to say the least.
The business of operating home offices is neither new nor novel. Many hotels, airlines and tourist boards presently operate like this all over North America and Europe. The issue with Jamaica as a country going this route is that a JTB office is not merely a single purpose entity, focused on one commercial objective. A JTB location is a full-service point of contact for all matters concerning Jamaica.
When schools or other non-commercial bodies want to learn more about a county, it is the Tourist Board that is the point of reference. It is a storehouse of the island's culture and everything else that makes us uniquely Jamaican.
Additionally, tourists are falling over themselves to go to the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Mexico and the Bahamas - not Jamaica. The truth is that Jamaica is a hard sell in the best of times. The cumulative effect is that Jamaica is underperforming as a tourist destination. It's time for a regime change.
Closing offices is a necessity if the realities call for it. Perhaps the Tourist Board personnel can operate out of the Jamaican Embassies, Consulates and High Commissions worldwide. Let us learn from the automotive industry, where the Honda Motor Company does not need to have offices in every town to sell its vehicles. Because it has a reputation of safety and reliability, people will travel to wherever the nearest Honda dealership is to buy one. Other motor vehicles of the same type have no such luxury, their vehicles do not enjoy that level of market confidence and reputation, so they must have more offices and dealership locations closer to their target markets and must always have a strong and properly funded marketing campaign.
The same is true for Jamaica. In addition, policy makers must consider the impact of closures and reduced manpower on the travel agent community. Out of sight out of mind is a maxim that responsible tourism managers cannot afford to ignore. We must be practical and at the same time prudent, it is not beyond us.
I am, etc.,
HARRY DELISSER Ph.D.
coyaba@rogers.com
Destinations Unlimited Inc.
Vancouver, British Columbia
Canada
Via Go-Jamaica
