By Erica James-King, Staff ReporterThe positive spin-off from the jazz festival is being felt as far away as St. Ann.
Robert Russell, director of Turnkey Promotions, the jazz festival organisers, says up to 4,000 visitors are expected in the island for the four-day show, which runs from Thursday to Sunday.
The Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) is reporting that business is great and that its members along the north coast are "solidly booked."
"All hotels in St. James are 100 per cent booked until Saturday, and a similar picture exists in Trelawny," president Godfrey Dyer said on Wednesday, during an interview with The Gleaner.
He said: "We are seeing some locals and foreigners who are unable to find accommodation in Montego Bay, booking as far away as Ocho Rios, St. Ann." He noted that there was usually a lull in business at this time of year.
SLOW PERIOD
"Players in the hotel industry are really reaping great benefits from the jazz festival, as when it was absent from the calendar, hotels would have had a slow period after the Christmas/New Year's week. Things would not have picked up until February," said Mr. Dyer.
However, two of the top-of-the-line properties, Tryall and Round Hill, reported that they were not doing as well, with occupancies of 35 and 46 per cent respectively. The two properties are located in Hanover.
"We are not getting any spin-offs from the jazz festival and we do not expect things to pick up until February," said Tryall in a written response to Gleaner queries.
"During February a lot of tourists love to travel so we also see an increase in our accommodation at that time of year."
