Sigh of relief

WESTERN BUREAU:

The resilient corridor has been credited as the singular most important safety feature of Destination Jamaica, playing a critical role in the country retaining its amber position in the United Kingdom (UK).

In June, the UK introduced a traffic light system, ‘green watch list’ and travel certification, which saw travellers categorised in green, amber or red, depending on the destinations they visit. Travellers returning from red countries are placed under greater restrictions, including 10-day quarantines and a 2,000 pounds hotel stay on their return home.

“The corridor played a vital role in the determination of Jamaica’s position as a safe, secure and seamless destination,” Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett told The Gleaner.

And he didn’t stop there. He tagged the area the most credible, touristic region in any destination in the Caribbean, with a proven track record of very low infection and very strong compliance with COVID-19 protocols.

The tourism minister’s stance was bolstered by the membership of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist and Association (JHTA), whose president, Clifton Reader, noted that the establishment and maintenance of the resilient corridor was one clear example of the industry’s commitment to providing the best possible protection against the coronavirus.

He said the area has had excellent results to date.

The resilient corridor spans the tourism capital, Montego Bay, in the north west and Port Antonio in the east. Negril, the island’s ‘Capital of Casual’, and Treasure Beach on the south coast complete the coastline areas that house the majority of the country’s tourist accommodations.

SUPPORT THE HEALTH AUTHORITIES

Reader notes that Jamaica’s international partners have recognised their efforts, revealing that his members were elated Jamaica had not made the red list, and will continue to do everything to support the health authorities in reducing the incidence of COVID-19 in Jamaica.

Expectations were that the island would have made it on the dreaded red list, owing to its COVID-19 numbers. With uncertainty over its head, the tourism industry went into jitters after a number of tour operators and travel agents started cancelling current and forward bookings.

One stakeholder, whose sigh of relief echoed over the phone, was JHTA member, Kerry-Ann Quallo-Casserly, regional director of sales, Blue Diamond Resorts, Jamaica. She said their Royalton properties will continue to do business with minimum cancellations from the source market for the next seven days.

“We are cautiously optimistic of the recovery of the hospitality sector for the months of September and October. However, on our books we are pacing ahead of two years prior to the summer, fall and winter 2021/22,” she said.

According to the regional director, the United States, Canada and the UK markets were all pacing ahead of last year.

In the meantime, the hotels have become testing sites and are now hosting ‘VAX’ days (vaccination blitz for tourism workers), doing their part to ensure that as many of their workers as possible are vaccinated so that they can achieve herd immunity.

janet.silvera@gleanerjm.com