Dionne Rose, Business Reporter

Ed Bartlett

Hoteliers, supported by the Jamaica Tourist Board, will dole out US$500,000 (J$35.6 million) to host Japex, under a plan that includes cosmetic upgrades to certain areas of the city.

"It is a lot of in-kind contribution from the JTB," said Camille Needham, executive director of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA).

"Actual cash from the JHTA and some of our partners would be in the region of US$300,000 to US$500,000," Needham told The Financial Gleaner.

Needham said the budget is structured so that JTB's contribution would be made in forms other than cash.

"We try to do it in such a way that we are not dipping into the Government's coffers for this at all; this is totally funded by the private sector in terms of raw cash."

Jamaica Product Exchange (Japex) is one of the island's largest homegrown expositions normally showcased on the North Coast where