By Janet Silvera, Gleaner WriterWESTERN BUREAU:
THE JAMAICA Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) and the Jamaica Tourist Board have announced that the Jamaica Product Exchange (JAPEX) 2004 is returning to Montego Bay and will be held from May 2-4, at the Half Moon Hotel.
JAPEX, Jamaica's single largest tourism marketing event, was designed originally to help small hotel operators who did not have the resources to market their products overseas.
However, during its 13 years JAPEX has remained a key part of the island's overall marketing strategy and has played a pivotal role for the entire destination as well as for large properties, JHTA President, Godfrey Dyer told the media at a press conference to launch the event, on Wednesday morning.
Already the organisers are forecasting that with the buoyancy being experienced in the tourist industry coupled with Jamaica's position within the marketplace, this year's show will be one of the largest.
AHEAD OF LAST YEAR
"Preliminary figures show in terms of registration by both overseas buyers and local suppliers, we are well ahead of last year," said an enthusiastic Josef Forstmayr, chairman of the JAPEX committee.
He said that with only six weeks to go, some 51 supplier companies with 143 delegates and 35 buyer companies with 54 delegates have already registered, representing a 20 per cent increase over last year.
The bulk of the delegates are coming out of the United States and Canada, but there is interest from buyer companies from Europe including Denmark and Russia seeking to attend this year's event.
According to Deputy Director of Tourism, David Shields, who brought greetings on behalf of the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), there is a commitment to the European market, although marketing efforts are still plagued by resource constraints.
Since January 2004, the JTB has not advertised in Europe and this has caused concern among the among the islands' tourism interests, including Mr. Dyer, who expressed fear that the country's arrival figures may fall owing to its minimal presence in Europe.
"We are trying to rationalise, to ensure we keep our presence in the European market," Mr. Shields said.
He said he was optimistic that the issue of resource allocation would be available to renew the island's advertising presence in Europe, adding that a meeting was set for later this week with advertising partners to start putting a schedule in place.
SPECIAL DISCUSSIONS
In the meantime special discussions have begun with Spanish and Italian tour operators and the situation was being monitored closely to ensure that whatever resources were used, they would gain the best results for the destination.
JAPEX 2004 kicks off with a fete at the Montego Bay Cruise Ship Pier on May 1. On Sunday May 2, the excitement moves to the Half Moon Hotel, where a special street party will take place, after the trade show opens.
