Pride in a bottle: Red Stripe for Ja House Rio

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil

The iconic Red Stripe beer will be among the featured products available at Jamaica House Rio as the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) gets ready for a bumper crowd when the athletics competition gets underway a week from now. Hosted at the swanky Prado Restaurant in the famous Jockey Club in Rio's Gavea neighbourhood, the project is a replica of Jamaica House London which was hugely successful in 2012.

"We're very excited about the prospects of Jamaica House Rio and pleased with the support of the sponsors who have come on board to help us leverage brand Jamaica," said Jason Hall, deputy Director of Tourism.

Having pledged more than $5 million to the project, Red Stripe will provide a whole container of the Great Jamaican Beer which will be available to visitors of Jamaica House Rio.

"Jamaicans are getting ready to celebrate like only we can. And what better way to do that than right here in Brazil where all the excitement is happening with a brew that represents Jamaican pride in a bottle," said Nasha Douglas, Red Stripe's senior brand manager. "We're hoping to tap into the tourist market in Brazil, to give potential visitors a taste of Jamaica and to showcase the best of us in what is an extremely lucrative South American market," added Hall.

Big names, major acts

Jamaica House Rio is scheduled to open in four days, with high level Jamaican officials set to interact with visitors on August 12. Prime Minister Andrew Holness heads the VIP list which will include the Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett and Minister of Culture Olivia Grange. Organisers expect that planned events such as live shows beginning August 19 and major acts like Kymani Marley, I-Octane and Luciano will draw an average of 2000 visitors to Jamaica House Rio each day.

The decision to launch the Rio initiative came after the London 2012 execution created waves in the UK and was credited with increased travel bookings to the island. While not on the same scale, it is felt that Rio is a prime opportunity to connect with untapped markets by capitalising on the success of the Jamaican team to the Games and leveraging authentic Jamaican products like reggae and Red Stripe which already have a strong following in Brazil.