Everyone's asleep at tourism wheel

Jamaica has developed a tourism industry which is comparable to the best in the world. Brand Jamaica, as embodied by our culture, music, food, sun, sea and sand, combined with the intensely infectious hospitality or our people, has created a winning formula. However, we have not optimised our industry.

Let us use the case study of Jamaica and Chinese tourism.

In February 2005, yes, 2005, there was an agreement between the Government of Jamaica and China which designated Jamaica as an Approved Destination for Chinese nationals to visit. It was then estimated that some of China's 19 million tourists would be travelling to Jamaica by 2007.

The then director of tourism stated that the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) was looking at establishing the framework for promoting Jamaica's tourism within China. He further commented on the 600-plus state-approved tour operators in China, destination management companies in Jamaica, and visa requirements. They even established plans to market Jamaica as an incentive prize for Chinese organisations.

They spoke a lot and did very little. This opportunity has been needlessly delayed. We have wasted opportunity in opening a JTB office located c/o China Business Network, Office 610 Bldg. A, Oriental Media Tower, Beijing. We spent money during Mr Edmund Bartlett's tenure to pay American Airlines and others to provide and/or guarantee airlift to Jamaica. Yet he did blessed little to operationalise the tourist trade with China.

ARE WE AFRAID OF SUCCESS?

The current tourism minister, Dr Wykeham McNeill, is just as comatose. Are we afraid of success?

Up to April 24, 2013, we still have no direct commercial flights between China and Jamaica. Those wishing to travel have to do so via Canada, the United States, or Mexico.

Jamaica scored a public-relations coup with the success of our athletes in Beijing in 2008. The Bird's Nest stadium might as well have been our office, stage and marketing launch; however, we still have not addressed the issues of transportation, visa or group designation. What an inept approach to development!

In April 2009, the Chinese Tourists Welcoming Awards was held in Beijing. The same JTB entered along with 18 other countries. Jamaica won the Gold Award for Service Quality, having already won the Gold Award for Internet and Media at the 2008 event.

Care to know how much we have missed? Fifty-six million mainland Chinese tourists travelled overseas in 2009. In 2010, Chinese tourists travelling abroad spent US$48 billion. This was a 17.5 per cent year-on-year increase in 2010. In 2012, the outboard tourist numbers are estimated at 78.4 million. They spent US$80 billion. There is a projection for them to spend US$100 billion by the year 2015. The Chinese tourist is already the most important visitor to diverse tourist destinations like Australia and the Maldives, among others.

In September 2011, the then minister of tourism, Mr Bartlett, revealed that the island planned to mount an "aggressive" marketing campaign in China to boost the travel trade between the two countries. He went further, stating that over the past few years visitor arrivals to Jamaica from Chinas had been "steadily growing".

The figures of 2010 showed Jamaica welcomed a total of 1,302 stopover visitors from China. This is growth on the 1,142 for 2009 and just under 1,000 for 2008. In 2011, for the first four months, it was just over 500 Chinese visitors. How pathetic? We, a preferred, authorised destination, get these minuscule numbers out of 78 million Chinese tourists wandering about the world. Are we afraid of success?

The MAG Group owns 74 per cent of the Sydney airport in Australia. They reported that in 2010, Chinese inbound tourists to Sydney grew by 32 per cent over the previous year. It is apparent that other countries as diverse as Finland, Switzerland, Tanzania, Maldives, Dubai, South Africa and Thailand have planned and implemented strategies to access the Chinese travel market. This week, Costa Rica, in our region, joined the bandwagon.

Just imagine if we were to plan for, create the environment, build the infrastructure and amenities, resolve the stupid visa issue and negotiate airlift with Chinese and other airlines, what we may achieve. Use the Tourism Enhancement Fund.

LANGUAGE NOT A BARRIER

It has been frequently said that language is a barrier for Jamaica. Rubbish. Chinese travel by group tours, and each tour group has embedded a proficient translator for that destination. If we could attract one per cent of the 78 million mainland Chinese tourists, this would be an additional 780,000 stopover visitors for a year.

We currently only receive two million visitors, overall, a year as a result of the 'Herculean' efforts of a tourist board that claims success. Think of Chinese tourist stopovers in the land of Usain Bolt, et al. Just 2.6 per cent of the 2012 outbound Chinese tourist travellers is equivalent to our total annual visitor stopovers from the rest of the world. What a challenge! What potential!

Tourism in Jamaica, at present, employs approximately 75,000 persons. Think 150,000 employed. Tourism is the second-largest source of hard currency. Think doubling the returns in spite of retaining only 20 per cent, according to the World Bank. Think the spin-off to potential investors, custom duties and a duty-free shopping industry.

Think the agricultural demand to feed another two million persons annually. Think transportation demands within Jamaica to move tour groups. Think casino revenue. Think horse- and dog-racing tracks operating daily.

All of the foregoing is likely to be a continuing dream, punctuated by flowery rhetoric from politicians, but devoid of action. Someone needs to set off the fire alarms at Knutsford Boulevard and wake up those therein.

Ronald Mason is an immigration attorney/mediator. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and nationsagenda@gmail.com.