Kingston, February 13, 2008:
Kingston Ready for JAPEX

A number of local celebrities will be pitting their musical skills against each other on Saturday, February 23, 2008, when the Jamaica Hotel & Tourist Association (JHTA) Kingston Chapter hosts their "Celebrity Spin Off" at The Deck, Trafalgar Road, Kingston 10.

Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, will make a special guest appearance at the event which will showcase "selectors" like JHTA President, Wayne Cummings; Director of Tourism, Basil Smith; Businessmen Tanny Shirley, Steve Ashley, Kenny Benjamin and Dwight Moore; Marketer, Yvonne Wilks; Media personalities, Christene King and Janet Silvera and former Minister of Tourism, Aloun Ndombet Assamba.
A gate prize of an all-inclusive weekend for two at a north coast hotel is also being offered.

The celebrity spin off is being hosted ahead of the Jamaica Product Exchange (JAPEX) hospitality and tourism exposition planned for Kingston, April 25-27, 2008, which will present the capital city to hundreds of overseas wholesalers, travel agents and travel trade media.   <<top>>

The Jamaica Hospitality and tourism industry’s premier annual trade show, the Jamaica Product Exchange (JAPEX) will be hosted in Kingston, April 25-27, 2008.

Wayne Cummings, President of the Jamaica Hotel & Tourist Association (JHTA), joint hosts of the event with the Jamaica Tourist Board, made the announcement on December 11, 2007, at Tourism Awareness Week celebrations at the Hilton Kingston Hotel.

JAPEX annually brings together worldwide buyers with sellers from every sector of the hospitality and tourism industry in Jamaica.  Staged in one of the island’s key resort areas, it provides an opportunity for the international trade to meet, network, negotiate, conduct business and experience first-hand developments in Jamaica’s hospitality and tourism industry.

Noting that heritage tourism is one of the fastest growing segments of the industry worldwide, Mr. Cummings said that the choice of Kingston for JAPEX is most apt given the current popularity of "destinations that boast strong cultural, national and built environments including museums, art galleries and historic preservation sites."

"Kingston is not short on any of these and we must commend our JHTA Kingston Chapter and its partners for creating an environment that attracts investors, corporate guests, tourists and of course, Jamaicans here and from the Diaspora", Mr. Cummings declared.

The JHTA President pointed to a worldwide trend in which he said "cities rather than countries are the real players in the competitive global economy and culture is gaining greater recognition as a vehicle of economic and urban development."

At JAPEX ’08 Mr. Cummings said, participants will enjoy urban cultural tourism at its best as Kingston, ‘The Heartbeat of Jamaica’ is well known as the centre of reggae, fine museums and art galleries, restaurants and night clubs.

Further he noted "proximity to historic sites such as Port Royal, Spanish Town, and the University of the West Indies, make Kingston well-placed to respond to the expectations and needs of the growing number of tourists who are attracted to the city’s rich and varied array of cultural, business, entertainment, shopping, sports and other attractions."

Mr. Cummings said that with early indications being that winter 07/08 will deliver strong hotel occupancies, the JHTA, the JTB and their partners had already begun work to ensure the destination is in top shape to receive guests.

"We are looking to JAPEX 2008, in Kingston, to strengthen Jamaica’s position as a preferred tourist destination and we fully expect that the hundreds of overseas buyers and local suppliers who traditionally participate will be in attendance.  We will also be looking to the international, regional and local travel agents and media to help promote Jamaica’s tourism", Mr. Cummings declared.

Originally designed to support small properties and operations with limited marketing budgets or resources to attend overseas trade shows, JAPEX has in 18 years emerged as an invaluable marketing arena as an invaluable marketing arena for the entire sector.

Last year 88 overseas wholesalers attended JAPEX in Ocho Rios.  303 local suppliers and 152 international travel agents participated in that event.   <<top>>

Several projects in St. Ann and other local parishes are to benefit from an "Annual Charity Fete" to be hosted by the Jamaica Hotel & Tourist Association (JHTA) Runaway Bay Chapter on Saturday, December 1, 2007, at Ruins at the Falls, Ocho Rios.

The Fete will feature the Bare Essentials Band and a fashion show with models drawn from the JHTA Area Chapter, full bar and food provided by top Ocho Rios and Runaway Bay hotels.

Charities which have benefitted over the years include: Helping Indigent Persons (HIP), Famplan Jamaica, Windsor Girls Home, Sunshine School of Hope, St. Christopher’s School for the Deaf and the Street Boys Programme.

Tickets for the event are available at the St. Chamber of Commerce and Sunflower Resort Villas.   <<top>>

The Culinary Federation of Jamaica (CFJ) and the Jamaica Hotel & Tourist Association (JHTA) will host the "2007 Taste of Jamaica Culinary Competition" on November 18, 2007, at the HEART Academy Runaway Bay.

The competition is for individuals who wish to be selected by the JHTA to participate on Jamaica's National team at Taste of the Caribbean at the Caribbean Hotel Industry Conference (CHIC) 2008.

The main goal of "Taste of Caribbean" is to further the professional development of food and beverage professionals in the region and the 4-day event includes tastings, workshops, seminars and demonstrations.  The local event will choose Jamaica's national team comprising three chefs, a pastry chef, a bartender and a coach and team manager to accompany the team and to assist with coordination of activities. The competition will also serve to identify Jamaica's Chef, Pastry Chef, Ice Carver and Bartender of the Year for 2007/8

At "Taste of Jamaica", competitors will be required to present four plates of an entrée from a mystery basket with one hour to select their ingredients, write their recipe and another hour to finish their dish in front of the judges who will include Klaus Friedenreich CMC, (1980 USA Culinary Olympic Team Captain) Joseph McKenna CMPC and Andre Niederhauser, Past President of the Caribbean Culinary Federation.

Wayne Cummings, President of the JHTA, in inviting his members to "field their best teams at Taste of the Caribbean" described the event as "an excellent showcase for new and innovative styles of service and presentation, updating of traditional styles and the nurturing of creativity."

Mr. Cummings said, "we are going to choose the best team from "Taste of Jamaica" to present the rich and diverse cuisine of Jamaica at "Taste of the Caribbean" and we expect to bring home the trophies from the Caribbean Food & Beverage Awards of Excellence."   <<top>>

The Culinary Federation of Jamaica was officially inaugurated on August 1st 2007.Its goals are to work closely with those involved in Education and Agriculture in support of Jamaican Tourism. The CFJ also sees its role as the further refinement and continued development of a unique, contemporary Caribbean cuisine as an important part of the tourism product in Jamaica and throughout the region.

The officers of the CFJ are:
Bill Moore - Chairman of the Board
Dennis McIntosh - President
Fredrick Gayle - Treasurer
Collin Dawkins - Secretary
Steven Sowa - Vice President - Ocho Rios
Martin Maginly - Vice President - Negril
Olivier Ortel - Vice President - Montego Bay
Mark de Krinies - Vice President - Kingston

CHA is dedicated to excellence in hospitality, leadership in marketing, and sustainable growth in tourism, to the benefit of its membership and that of the wider Caribbean community.  The members of CHA represent the entire spectrum of hospitality industry's private sector, from over 1,100 member hotels in 35 national hotel associations, to allied members including airline executives, tour operators, travel agents, trade and consumer press, hotel and restaurant suppliers, and others.  CHA is headquartered is in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and maintains an office in Miami, Florida.

The Jamaica Hotel & Tourist Association: Established in 1961, JHTA is the organisation, which represents Jamaican hotels, other visitor accommodations as well as most suppliers of goods and services to the tourism industry. The main aim of the JHTA is to promote the development of Jamaica's hospitality industry and to represent the interests of its members in all fora, locally, regionally and internationally. 

JHTA promotes the interests of its members with government and its agencies, with other elements of the private sector and with international organizations. Through its association and representation on the Boards of Directors of the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) and the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo) it ensures a strong voice for its membership in the development and marketing of Jamaica's tourism. The JHTA is a major member of the Private Sector Organization of Jamaica. Its participation ensures a leading role for the private sector's interests in the policies and programmes of the PSOJ.   <<top>>

The Jamaica Hotel & Tourist Association (JHTA) and the HEART Trust/NTA -a quasi-government training organization, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to provide certification for a range of workers in the hospitality and tourism industry which will complement the existing Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA) regional professional certification programme CaribCert.

The JHTA has been engaged in skills training and certification for its membership through CaribCert which is based on knowledge and performance established for 47 of the most popular occupations in the hospitality sector.

Under the MOU, all individuals certified under CaribCert in Jamaica will be eligible to receive the National Vocational Qualifications of Jamaica (NVQJs) Caribbean Vocational Qualifications (CVQs) awarded by the NCTVET where agreed standards are met.

As part of the agreement, the JHTA will also provide a database of all persons in Jamaica already certified under the CaribCert programme, as well as copies of relevant training and assessment material to the NCTVET for the purpose of undertaking the required alignment to the appropriate occupational and job standards.

The JHTA will also facilitate an audit of the CaribCert assessment procedures as part of HEART’s strategy in determining equivalencies of the NVQJ’s or any other recognition awarded by the NCTVET where agreed standards are met.

The association will identify potential industry practitioners who may be trained as assessors and assist in promoting the dual-certification programme within its membership.

Where persons have not met the full requirements of the NVQJ and wish to receive certification, the National Training Agency in collaboration with the various tourism entities, will undertake the recommended training and/or assessment in order to complete the requirements for the awarding of the NVQJ to the individuals in question.

Both the JHTA and HEART Trust/NTA will promote the dual-certification among tourism workers in Jamaica and regionally.   <<top>>

New Minister of Tourism Hon. Edward Bartlett has hit the ground running in his quest to make tourism "the centre piece of the entire transformation required to create the levels of growth necessary to make Jamaica a first world economy."

Minister Bartlett, at his maiden meeting with the Jamaica Hotel & Tourist Association on Wednesday, September 26, 2007, at the Bahia Principe Hotel, Runaway Bay, addressed that organization’s list of top ten concerns.

The Minister outlined a number of strategies aimed at "boosting revenue through greater in-store "traffic".  These included the development of attractions and incentives and funding through the Tourism Enhancement Fund for innovation enhancements such as craft markets.

The Minister said that he had requested an additional budgetary allocation of US$3.5M to finance "an intense, multi market transcontinental road show" in order to ensure Jamaica has "the best winter season possible, this year."

In terms of infrastructure developments, Minister Bartlett said that discussions were advancing with respect to the establishment of a hospitality school, and a convention centre in Montego Bay and with Appleton Estates on the possibility of reviving the St. Bess -MBJ Railway.  There are also plans for the establishment of "Artisan Villages" where visitors could purchase items handcrafted on the spot.

Small hotels will also come in for special attention as Minister Bartlett explained that a proposal to make available $150M for on lending at 4% through Jamaica National was pending cabinet approval.

What’s more, he is pursuing having tourism declared an "Export Industry" and this would mean further benefits for the industry.

On the vexed issue of the CARICOM visa Minister Bartlett told the JHTA that "our position has not changed as a country.  Jamaica does not support it and there are just a few administrative procedures to formalize our position to Georgetown."

He said that with respect to the requirement for U.S. citizens re-entering their homeland from the Caribbean, which has been blamed for reductions in travel to the Caribbean, "the Jamaica Tourist Board will step up the intensity of its promotion to steer Americans towards acquiring passports well ahead of travel."  The Minister called on the JHTA members to "continue to offer incentives that keep Destination Jamaica relatively attractive as the first stop with the newly acquired passports."

The public/private sector partnership was critical to achieving Jamaica’s tourism goals the Minister told the JHTA as he invited them to partner with him.  "I can’t even walk without you holding my hand", he declared.   <<top>>

New Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edward Bartlett has requested a budgetary allocation of US$3.5M to help market Jamaica over the next several months and ensure "the best possible winter season ever before."

Addressing his first meeting of the Jamaica Hotel & Tourist Association (JHTA) at the Bahia Principe Hotel, Runaway Bay on Wednesday, September 26, 2007, Minister Bartlett said he was not yet sure whether he would get the total sum.

He said however that he had been mandated by Prime Minister, The Hon. Bruce Golding "to make tourism the centerpiece of the entire transformation required to create the levels of growth necessary to make Jamaica a first world economy."

Minister Bartlett said he will be following the tenets of a MECCA Plan -Marketing, Environmental sustainability, Community-based initiatives, Culture-centered and Culture-sensitive programmes and an All-embracing model for Jamaica’s tourism.

He will be "hitting the road from October 1 with an intense, multi-market trans continental road show", he said, to increase the island’s share of major tourism markets and to attract more investment to the sector.

Noting that Jamaica currently welcomes approximately 1M visitors from the US annually, Minister Bartlett said that represented under 10% of the US travel market and challenged the JHTA to work with him to increase Jamaica’s share of that market to at least 1% in the near future.

He said that he was committed to making the hospitality and tourism industry the main driver of the economy but could not do it without the help of the players in the industry.  Quoting from a popular gospel song he told the JHTA members, "I can’t even walk without you holding my hand."

In a spirited discussion addressing a number of concerns posed by the JHTA, Minister Bartlett shared ideas on issues such as the CARICOM special visa, the US passport issue, support for the viability of small hotels, the Jamaica Tourist Board’s marketing budget, the proposed Montego Bay convention centre, a pension scheme for tourism workers and the development of roads and other infrastructure, particularly in Port Antonio and the South Coast.

Of the CARICOM visa, Minister Bartlett said, "the country’s position has not changed.  Jamaica does not support it".  He said however, that Jamaica is committed to the Caribbean Community and so is working through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs "to formalize our position to Georgetown."

The problems created by the US passport issues not just in Jamaica but also the Bahamas and other destinations which rely heavily on US visitors, point to the need Minister Bartlett said, to build traffic from Europe and other destinations.

He said that the new government was committed to assisting small hotels remain viable, as they believed that the benefits from tourism should "flow through" every sector of the economy.

But he noted, "small hotels have to be efficient.  There is great demand for small hotels, mom and pop operations, but some will have to redevelop, reinvent themselves, wheel and come again."

Minister Bartlett said that he was working on making the Montego Bay convention centre a reality on the provision of feeder roads to complement the arterial ones on which substantial work has been done.

One of the main pillars of his work he said, would be the provision of a pension plan for tourism workers and he invited the JHTA "to work with a technical team to design a plan without compromising anything that already exists, to ensure that those who have worked in this industry can be protected."   <<top>>

Jamaica’s hotels are on alert and have activated their Hurricane Preparation & Disaster Management Plans, in anticipation of Hurricane Dean which may hit Jamaica on Sunday.

Jamaica Hotel & Tourist Association (JHTA) President, Wayne Cummings has asked all of the Association’s members "to put all the necessary measures in place to protect life and property and minimize any possible effects of Hurricane Dean on guests and staff."

The President has also asked members to keep their Area Chairmen updated with information on their properties.  Area Chairmen of the JHTA have been designated as spokespersons for their Areas and will channel information to the media centre being established by the Ministry of Tourism Entertainment & Culture at the Hilton Kingston.   <<top>>

The Jamaica Hotel & Tourist Association (JHTA) has lauded their former President Josef Forstmayr, O.D., who was last week named "Caribbean Hotelier of the Year" by the Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA).

Newly elected JTHA President Wayne Cummings, said that the Association was elated that Mr. Forstmayr, Managing Director of Montego Bay’s Round Hill Villas & Resort, was recognized for his over two decades of contribution to the Jamaica hospitality and tourist industry. 

Noting that Mr. Forstmayr was JHTA Hotelier of the Year in 1993 and 1996, and received the National Honour -The Order of Distinction -for his outstanding contribution to Jamaica’s tourism in 2005, Mr. Cummings said, "not only is Josef a fantastic hotelier, he was an exceptional President of the JHTA for two years and provided strong, decisive and fearless leadership to the Association and the industry at large.  We are proud that the CHA has recognized Josef as Caribbean Hotelier of the Year 2006." 

Mr. Cummings said that Mr. Forstmayr and Round Hill were "active supporters of community projects and charities in Montego Bay and Western Jamaica" and that "Josef’s unswerving dedication and commitment to the industry has raised the bar and set the tone for many".

"He has contributed significantly to the sector, is passionate about his work and is well deserving of the title, Caribbean Hotelier of the Year", Mr. Cummings said.

The Austrian-born Mr. Forstmayr has lived in Jamaica since 1979.  He has worked at several local hotels including the Coconut Grove, Negril; Tryall Golf & Country Club and Trident Villas & Hotel.

Under his stewardship, the Round Hill Villas & Resort has emerged as one of Jamaica’s most popular 5-star resorts, a multiple winner of local and international awards including the Jamaica Bureau of Standards’ "Excellence in Service Sector" Award in 2005; Gold List of Conde Naste - 1997; and "World’s Leading Villas Award" -for six consecutive years at the World Travel Awards Show.   <<top>>

Ashford Kelly, a bellman at the SuperClubs Breezes Runaway Bay Resort & Golf Club is the Jamaica Hotel & Tourist Association (JHTA) Hotel Worker of the Year.

He joined a host of other hospitality and tourism industry "stars" honoured at the Association’s annual general meeting Awards of Excellence luncheon on Saturday, June 9, 2007.

They included, "Abe Issa Award for Excellence", posthumously to film maker, Perry Henzell and the awards to "Hotelier of the Year", Sandals Dunns River General Manager, Louis Grant; "Purveyor of the Year", Caribbean Producers Ltd.; YS Falls, "Attraction of the Year"; JUTA Negril, "Ground Transportation Company of the Year" and Air Jamaica, "International Airline of the Year".

Air Jamaica Vice President for Marketing and former Director of Tourism, Paul Pennicook, was recognized for "outstanding contribution to tourism", and the Montego Bay boutique hotel "Coyaba Beach Resort & Club" won the Jamaica Public Service Award for "Best Use of Energy".

The luncheon also paid special tribute to "JHTA Stalwart", Thelma Williams, former Deputy Executive Director of the Association who retired this year after 43 years of service.   <<top>>

The Jamaica Product Exchange (JAPEX), the local hospitality and tourism industry’s most important annual marketplace is being looked to, to improve visitor arrival statistics to the island in 2007.   The show, scheduled for the Sunset Jamaica Grande, Ocho Rios, April 29 - May 2, 2007, will be officially opened on Sunday by the Most Hon. Portia Simpson-Miller, Prime Minister of Jamaica.

According to Horace Peterkin, President, Jamaica Hotel & Tourist Association (JHTA), hosts of JAPEX, with Jamaica already experiencing a decrease in stopover arrivals January - March ’07, compared with the same period last year, "JAPEX has a bigger role to play this year."

Each year, the JHTA in association with the Jamaica Tourist Board, brings wholesalers and tour operators from important travel markets in North America, Europe and Asia to meet and sign contracts with local providers and tourism products and services including hoteliers, ground transportation companies and attractions.

According to Mr. Peterkin, "JAPEX will have the people with the power to boost our visitor numbers."

He said that JAPEX, which was conceived by the JHTA 17 years ago, "with the expressed purpose of controlling our destiny to some measurable degree", has been particularly important to small players in the industry, who would otherwise have to struggle with the costs of attending such marketplaces in Europe and America.  But, he said, it represented "a golden opportunity for the entire sector to impact their bottomline."

Noting that last year Jamaica recorded the most impressive growth in arrivals in its history -a 13.5% increase in stopover visitors and 17.7% in cruise visitors -Mr. Peterkin said that JAPEX was a factor in that performance.

He noted however that a "fine-tuned Jamaica Tourist Board has spent a lot more of its US$34 million budget on direct marketing than it had in past years while several hotel groups and individual companies spent collectively between US$50 - US$75 million in marketing their products within the destination while the support of the Ministry of Tourism, Entertainment & Culture "who has continuously been with us in the trenches promoting brand Jamaica and participates in all our important events and initiatives" was also critical in making ’06 our best year ever.

But he noted, "we cannot sit on our laurels.  Indeed, we are forced to out-perform ourselves every year from now on because of the explosive growth in hotels and in our room stock."

Mr. Peterkin said that "the JHTA estimates that we will need an average annual increase in stopover arrivals of between 10% and 12.5% over the next five years just to keep pace with the current level of occupancies in our hotels."

He predicted that "if we fall flat or behind, it will simply mean that we have to cut the same pie in many more pieces and in this scenario the older and smaller players will lose out to the newer more modern properties."

Mr. Peterkin said that the JHTA was confident that JAPEX ’07 would serve to put Jamaica on track to achieve these goals.

He noted that with less than a week to go, registration was already high with 76 overseas buyers and 255 local operators holding scheduled appointments.

"The vibrancy of Ocho Rios with its many new or renovated properties, new attractions, restaurants and shopping facilities, along with an exciting and illuminating JAPEX programme", is sure to impress the visitors, Mr. Peterkin declared.   <<top>>

It’s being touted as the fastest growing sector of the travel and tourism industry -a virtual industry in its own right.

Certainly, with an approximate worldwide value in excess of US$400-billion, the growth in the luxury tourism market in the past decade (20-30%) proves that tourists are definitely influenced by the glamour and style that a product offers.

In fact, luxury travelers, the top 3% of tourists, contribute in the region of 20% of total tourism expenditure.  They are people with time and money for holidays, seek qualitative experiences and demand personal and confidential service.  Sometimes, they have requirements that, to the average person, seem absurd, but they’re willing to pay handsomely for them.

Of course, there are varying degrees of luxury from the ultra elite to affordable luxury.  But, the real luxury tourist does not necessarily seek the best price but the best product in relation to accommodation and the spectrum of tourist services from travel agencies, airport transfers and activities outside the hotel.

Ultra-luxurious experiences can run from ground transfers in a Hummer Hz, Land Rover or the new 2007 Mercedes Benz GL450 to bathroom minibars with high-end Bulgari products and rare vintages.

Can Jamaica play in this league?

"Absolutely!"  Is the response from Round Hill Hotel & Villas’ and JAPEX Planning Committee Chair, Josef Forstmayr.

"We’ve been a luxury destination for many years -a leader since about 50 years ago when it shifted from Cuba to the rest of the Caribbean", he explained.

Noting that Jamaica has been working hard to maintain its position as a luxury market destination, Mr. Forstmayr said that, "while a lot of new investment has gone into family-oriented resorts, we have also had lots of boutique, high-end properties coming on board too."

This diversity, Mr. Forstmayr said, "is excellent for Jamaica which is not as small or isolated as places like Mustique or the Canouan Islands and must have a mixed product to be viable."

But, says Forstmayr, properties like his Round Hill, Island Outpost, Half Moon and the Ritz Carlton, help keep Jamaica in the "top end" of the tourism market too.

According to one of the 26 cottage owners, fashion icon, Ralph Lauren,"Round Hill, originally the private haven of style icons such as Noel Coward, Babe Paley, Cole Porter, Grace Kelly, Jacqueline Kennedy, "still feels like a charming private club, sought after by some of today’s most discerning travelers.  We aspire to bring our members luxury and refinement by heightening the exclusivity of a private club atmosphere while at the same time remaining the little jewel that we all know at Round Hill", he explained.

Lauren says that "Round Hill Hotel & Villas aims to be the most beautiful and elegant boutique resort in the Caribbean where understated glamour, discreet impeccable service, attention to detail and warm Jamaican hospitality define the experience.  Our mission is to remain a boutique resort that exemplifies elegance and class, which caters with meticulous detail to the needs of its sophisticated members on the famous "Rosehall strip".

Half Moon Director of Marketing & Sales, Myrtle Dwyer, points to the 400-acre property as "one which has consistently embodied the characteristics that appeal to the luxury market visitor".

According to Ms. Dwyer, "Half Moon has always been known as a luxury product.   It is our customization/personalization of products as well as a fine heritage of craftsmanship that has contributed to our unique style."

Ms. Dwyer said that, "the Half Moon delivers products and services that significantly enhance travelers quality of life or provide a unique and memorable experience -the memory of which is cherished over time."

But notes Dwyer, "marketing luxury never gets easy and the only way for luxury brands to survive when the very definition of luxury is constantly shifting, is to be consistently innovative."

Half Moon, with its continuous upgrades of its accommodations, attractions and soon to come ultra luxurious spa, is definitely on that track.   <<top>>

Keen interest being shown in Destination Jamaica is a good indicator that the island is still a preferred destination.

JHTA President, Horace Peterkin said, "we’re extremely pleased about the number of overseas buyers and local suppliers already booked to attend the event.  It is a good sign that their clients continue to be interested in Jamaica.  obviously, tourists still want Jamaica."

Over 300 delegates including 65 overseas buyers and 231 suppliers are already booked for JAPEX ’07, and Mr. Peterkin said that the participation of buyers from North America including Canada and the United Kingdom would serve to consolidate Jamaica’s market share in those countries.

"At JAPEX, we will have the people with the power to boost our visitor numbers: the tour operators, travel agents and trade press", Mr. Peterkin said.

Noting that the buyers "will see a Jamaica that is greatly improved infrastructurally with a wider variety of products and services for the visitor, Mr. Peterkin said that a number of new players in the industry, including several Spanish-owned properties, have afforded Jamaica a deeper penetration in non-traditional markets.

He said that while last year Jamaica recorded the most impressive growth in arrivals in its history -13.5% increase in stopovers and 17.7% in cruise visitors, stopover arrivals were down for the year so far and Mr. Peterkin said that the industry was "looking to JAPEX to increase momentum in the marketplace.

"JAPEX has a bigger role to play this year.   It must help to trigger resurgence in business for Jamaica", he declared.   <<top>>

The Jamaica Hotel & Tourist Association is the organisation, which represents Jamaican hotels, other visitor accommodations as well as most suppliers of goods and services to the tourism industry.  Established in 1961, the main aim of the JHTA is to promote the development of Jamaica’s hospitality industry and to represent the interests of its members in all fora, locally, regionally and internationally. 

JHTA promotes the interests of its members with government and its agencies, with other elements of the private sector and with international organizations. Through its association and representation on the Boards of Directors of the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) and the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo) it ensures a strong voice for its membership in the development and marketing of Jamaica’s tourism.

The JHTA is a member of the Private Sector Organization of Jamaica and ensures a leading role for the private sector in the policies and programmes of the PSOJ.

Internationally JHTA is affiliated with the Caribbean Hotel Association, the American Society of Travel Agents, the American Hotel and Lodging Association and the International Hotel & Restaurant Association. These valuable liaisons provide the JHTA with the opportunity to secure critical information and exposure for its members.

The JHTA’s mission is: "To represent the interests of our members, foster their economic and professional growth while contributing to community development and the sustainability of Jamaica’s tourism industry."

The JHTA works to promote cooperation amongst hotels and other bodies interested in the tourist industry and afford a means of exchange of information on all matters affecting the hotel and tourist industries of Jamaica.

The Association also promotes fair and harmonious labour relations between members and their employees and assists in promoting business for its members and in developing every aspect of the tourist industry.

Over the past 46 years the JHTA has developed into a powerful lobby for the sector, representing them and negotiating with government for legislation and programmes which benefit, improve and expand the hotel and tourist industries of Jamaica.

The headquarters of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association is located at 2A Ardenne Road, Kingston 10, Jamaica.  However, chapters in Kingston, Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, Mandeville/South Coast and Port Antonio may be contacted directly through their respective presidents.   <<top>>