JTB hits success with digital trade show

The Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) is reporting huge success with the staging of the inaugural Jamaica Virtual Expo. The tech-driven expo, held on October 30, placed Destination Jamaica on show to hundreds of travel agents in one virtual space. This is a first for Jamaican tourism, and the feedback has been positive.

Designed to provide online exposure and business opportunities for tourism partners, particularly small properties, some 26 properties registered and participated. These include Charela Inn Hotel, Mais Oui, Jamaica Inn, The Cardiff Hotel & Spa, Sunflower Resort & Villas, Fun Holiday Beach Resort, Round Hill Resort &Villas, The Courtleigh Hotel Group and Sandals Resorts International. The 26 registered suppliers benefited from having a concentrated online audience of travel agents who are interested in selling Jamaica.

The Jamaica Virtual Expo is a part of the JTB’s digital marketing thrust to connect local stakeholders with audiences in new and emerging market spaces. Utilising innovative tools and technologies, the strategy also incorporates an inclusive approach that helps to provide a level playing field, so all stakeholders have the opportunity to showcase their business regardless of size, offerings and marketing dollars.

“This initiative was heavily tech-driven, as this is the meeting space where we connect with all our stakeholders,” said Donovan White, director of tourism. “TravAlliancemedia was our international partner which gave us access to their large travel agent database. The majority of travellers still prefer the counsel offered by travel agents and tour operators, and this expo is one initiative to keep this communication channel open. Preliminary data shows huge engagement with travel agents, demonstrating that our product continues to have great appeal in the global marketplace,” he added.

good turnout

Jack Fenning, digital media coordinator, travAlliancemedia, asserted, “We had 1,141 attendees, which is the most we’ve had for any expo all year! Congratulations to the team, suppliers and everyone involved to make this expo a huge success.”

During the four hours of engagement, there were robust discussions not only between travel agents and suppliers, but, interestingly, among travel agents, some of whom gave their experiences and the satisfaction of selling Jamaica to their clients. Agents from the United States, Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean participated in this inaugural expo, with the United States and Canada having the largest representation.

The expo delivered on facilitating real-time interactions between agents and suppliers, which fostered networking and business opportunities, with the convenience of participants connecting from their native spaces at significantly reduced cost. Suppliers were able to engage in live chats, direct message and email agents. Agents had the ability to view, download and share electronic assets on demand from each supplier.

The availability of timely analytics was one of the primary reasons for selecting this platform as it will provide insights on engagement, geographic location and basic agent profile which will assist in charting the way forward for business relations. Initial data show that there were a minimum 350 visits to each booth, with a high count of 554. From the interactions, Jamaica’s accommodation deals, beaches, adults-only properties, weddings and honeymoons, MICE and cruise offerings were dominant conversation themes. For the next 30 days, travel agents can visit the platform to download and share collateral material from the booths.

Expo participants included agents who were already selling Jamaica as well as those who were new to the destination. Vonetta Mitchell, a cruise planner, had this to say, “I sell Jamaica frequently. It is one of my favourite Caribbean islands to book clients.” Meanwhile, Brenda Bayliss of Larkspur Travel expressed, “I am looking to add Jamaica to my portfolio, so this virtual trade show has been awesome.”