PENNICOOK
Tourist arrivals have started to gain momentum and a good winter season is expected based on the marketing and advertising campaign now in place, said Director of Tourism Paul Pennicook.
For the month of August, stopover tourist arrivals fell 9 per cent, and there has been an overall decline of 0.1 per cent for the period January to August of this year. As a result of this slowdown in arrival numbers, there has been some criticism of the arrival trends from within the sector.
INCREASE IN ARRIVALS
Behind the concern is the fact that about 10,000 additional hotel rooms will be added to the island existing stock of accommodation in the next three years, according to Development Minister Dr. Paul Robertson. Total capacity in the accommodation sector amounted to 24,947 rooms at the start of the year, so that without an increase in arrivals, some properties will begin to see reduced occupancy levels.
But the tourism director said preliminary results for September show a 12 per cent increase in arrivals.
He said the performance of Jamaica's industry earlier in the year was better than in many other Caribbean destinations and had been based on factors external to Jamaica.
Hotelier Gordon 'Butch' Stewart said last week that the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) had to shore up its place in the weakening U.S. market while Opposition spokesman on tourism, Ed Bartlett, said emphasis needed to be placed on the more vibrant European market.
Mr. Pennicook said a print campaign is being carried out in Italy, Germany and Holland. In the United Kingdom and Canada, this campaign is being supplemented by television advertising.
PRINT CAMPAIGN
"In the U.S. we have a strong print campaign in a number of magazines like Travel and Leisure, Conde Nast Traveller and Brides," he said. "Television advertising is currently on the air and will be on through the week of November 14."
Coupled with in-cinema advertising in selected U.S. markets and online advertising in all major markets, Destination Jamaica should remain very visible in the minds of consumers," he said. "I am confident that Jamaica will have a strong winter season."
In an earlier statement he had also pointed to the Freestay Jamaica concept being used to entice cruise ship passengers, who visit the Caribbean, to return for land-based vacations. As well, Unique Jamaica, a consortium of tourism interests, had partnered with the JTB to launch three 'Ultimate Tour' vacation packages at the premiere of the Travel Channel film featuring the country.
