Overly exaggerated - ... misleading concept of Jamaica say Nordic Tour Operators
Published:Wednesday | September 18, 2019 | 12:17 AMJanet Silvera - Hospitality Jamaica Coordinator
“Overly exaggerated” was how a number of Scandinavian tour operators viewed reports of Jamaica being unsafe for visitors.
Having visited the island during the just-concluded Jamaica Product Exchange (JAPEX) 2019 Tradeshow, they say that they will be selling the island as never before.
The operators – from Sweden, Denmark, and Norway – told Hospitality Jamaica during the three-day event at the Montego Bay Convention Centre, that their visit to the island was eye-opening and revealing, adding that it was way “beyond expectations”.
“I find Jamaica surprisingly positive,” remarked Emilia Olson, travel consultant from Norway, explaining that she and her colleagues heard about the crime situation in Jamaica, but coming here, where we went to Negril to the Rick’s Café, to river rafting, and climbing Dunn’s River Falls in Ocho Rios … it’s a totally different picture than the stories told.”
Olson was also very impressed by the quality of the local hotels and “the beautiful white-sand beaches,” noting that she would definitely push for more business for Jamaica once she got back home.
She, however, noted that the main challenge as it related to Norway and other Scandinavian countries was having the option of consistent connections into Jamaica, something she said might be able to happen through multidestination marketing.
“That’s the main challenge, but it’s worth the push and effort,” she added. “Jamaica is so beautiful, and people are definitely interested in coming here.”
Cecelia Larsson, a tour operator who works for Big Travel, a travel agency out of Sweden, said she, too, was pleasantly surprised to the point where she made a link with a few local Destination Management Companies (DMC) at JAPEX to which to send her clients.
AMAZINGLY BEAUTIFUL
“My first time to Jamaica and I have been here for five days now,” she said, beaming. “We have been sending people into Kingston, but now I know that this side is amazingly beautiful and will attract a lot of interest.”
The Ministry of Tourism has pledged to increase airlift to the island, acknowledging that it would greatly improve visitor arrivals, especially out of non-traditional markets such as Eastern Europe.
For Hanna Schwensen, a tour operator out of Copenhagen, Denmark, once the airlift issues have been sorted out, Jamaica will be an easy sell. “I don’t know what I was expecting, but my expectations have been exceeded,” she noted.
“There are so many things to do, and I can’t wait to get back to start selling. We have mostly done the small islands, but Jamaica is really something else … the quality is real.”
In the meantime, Jamaica Tourist Board’s Regional Director in the United Kingdom Elizabeth Fox is reporting an uptick in one of Jamaica’s biggest traditional markets.
“The July month was the biggest month of visitor arrivals from the United Kingdom … ever,” she declared in an interview with Hospitality Jamaica. “For the first time in eight years … since we have had television adverts …consistently in the market and close relationships with major tour operators … we are seeing this type of growth. Jamaica Travel Market, which started four years ago, is also reaping real benefits.”
JAPEX is the premier trade event for the travel industry locally and is a collaborative initiative between the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association and the Jamaica Tourist Board.
Staged annually, the three-day tradeshow, which ran from September 9-11, provides the ideal forum for leading suppliers in Jamaica’s tourism industry to negotiate, network, and meet with tour operators, travel wholesalers, and other tourism partners from across the globe.