New Indian high commissioner sees opportunities for investment in MoBay
Published:Monday | September 9, 2024 | 12:10 AMRochelle Clayton/Staff Reporter
WESTERN BUREAU:
With major plans to continue strengthening the relationship between Jamaica and his home country, Mayank Joshi, newly installed Indian high commissioner to Jamaica, believes the local tourism sector can benefit from an influx of Indian visitors.
Joshi, who was speaking to reporters during a recent tour of Montego Bay, shared that he has recognised tourism opportunities for his fellow countrymen since taking up the mantle of high commissioner for the South Asian country two months ago.
“I see the huge development around Montego Bay. I see that we can have lot of opportunities for more Indian investments, Indian companies, and Indian tourists coming to this region,” he said.
As of July 16, Jamaica has welcomed approximately 2.4 million visitors to the island since the start of 2024. This, reportedly, includes 1.5 million stopover arrivals and 800,000 cruise passengers.
Europe, Canada, and the United States (US) are the top markets from which visitors seeking to explore Jamaica’s tourism products originate. However, Joshi believes that with more partnerships and marketing, Indians, too, can become a major market. He further stated that with the improving economy in South Asia, Jamaica could take advantage of India’s 1.4 billion population.
“Indian tourist sector is … increasing at a very fast rate. With the rapid increase in the economy, the disposable income among Indians is very high now, and a large number of Indians are now travelling abroad for tourism.
“I look at Jamaica as a very beautiful destination, with its beautiful beaches, its green mountains, hiking trails, waterfalls. I think with [a] good campaign … to the tourist operators and tourist agencies in India, many Indians would be very happy to come to Jamaica as a tourist destination,” Joshi added.
Jamaica opened its first High Commission of Jamaica in Dehli, India, in 2021, with career diplomat Jason Keats Hall at its helm. Joshi told reporters that this move was a welcome one as both countries move to strengthen their partnership.
“As you are already aware, Jamaica has … opened its high commission in Delhi, and now with that Jamaican High Commission in Delhi, our linkage has grown stronger, and it’s now a very important part of raising awareness between the two countries.”
At the same time, Joshi noted that Jamaica should actively pursue his countrymen as a tourism market and that business tourism and destination weddings have become a key sector.
“They look at exotic destinations, and I’m sure that the Caribbean is one of the regions that is very high on the list. It’s only that good outreach needs to be done. And that is where I am looking at,” said Joshi.
While there are no straight flights between India and Jamaica, Joshi told reporters that he does not foresee an issue. However, the Indian high commissioner pointed out that “connectivity is a very important part in bringing two nations closer”.
He also entertained the idea of a direct flight to both countries should the market call for one.
“It will be very, very useful and wonderful if there could be a direct flight between India and Jamaica.”
In the meantime, Joshi stated that flights from India to the United States and Canada are already a major market. He also noted that with Jamaica’s no-visa requirement from India, there is also a window to build and foster a market in the South Asian country.
“It’s a very short trip from these cities in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom to Jamaica and to the Caribbean. The most interesting part is that Jamaica has a liberal visa policy, and Indian passport holders do not require a visa to come to Jamaica. So that is a very strong point in this possibility of getting more Indians travelling to Jamaica.
“We have not only common issues of concern and common areas of interest in the international forum, but also there is strong linkage, which is cemented by the presence of a strong Indian Diaspora, which is nearly is 70,000 estimated in Jamaica,” Joshi said.