Stopover visitor arrivals remain flat

BY INGRID BROWN Observer senior reporter browni@jamaicaobserver.com

Thursday, February 16, 2012

STOPOVER visitor arrivals have remained relatively flat in the last nine months as a result of a number of challenges currently facing the tourism sector, Tourism Minister Wykeham McNeill said yesterday.

According to McNeill, the factors that have resulted in an overall 0.8 per cent decrease in arrivals between May 2011 to January 31 include the slowdown of the economic recovery in the main markets, overall decrease in airlift, especially out of the US North East where over 10,000 seats were lost out of the JFK Airport, and the controversial Air Passenger Duty in the United Kingdom (UK).

Added to that is the unusually warm weather in the traditional United States and Canadian markets from which Jamaica gets most of its visitors during the winter tourist season, which runs from December 15 to April 31.

"Most recently is the unseasonably warm weather in our main markets of the US and Canada where temperatures reached record warm weather, the impact of which is shown in the December and January arrivals with a two and three per cent decrease respectively," McNeill told journalists at yesterday's weekly Jamaica House Press Briefing in Kingston.

Overall, the tourism minister said the preliminary figures show that 2011 should close out with a 1.7 per cent increase over 2010, although it started out with a very good winter.

McNeill said that the measures taken to address the issues are an increase in advertising, promotion and airlift.

The Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), he said, has launched a major television advertising campaign in the US and Canada with particular intensity in the Tri-State areas of New York, Connecticut and New Jersey.

"The JTB has also started advertising on TV in the UK for the first time in many years," McNeill said. The JTB has also embarked on the ambitious programme of using Usain Bolt's image in an advertisement for the UK ahead of the Olympic Games there.

The advertising campaign in the US which runs from January 17 to the end of March will also see the destination being advertised on taxi cabs and buses especially in New York.

Jamaica will also be heading to Berlin in two weeks to attend the biggest tourism travel show to further shore up the promotional campaign.

Additionally, director of tourism John Lynch is expected to attend this weekend's Routes Conference in the Bahamas where major airlines come together to plan their deployment for the year ahead.

"He is going with the mandate to continue the efforts to increase airlift especially direct lift out of the North East Tri-State area," McNeill said.

Discussions are also to begin next month with officials in Germany and Russia on airlift.

However McNeill said that the country will not be seeking to enter into any revenue guarantee agreement with airlines at this time. Revenue guarantee similar to what the previous administration had entered in with American Airlines see the country committing to offset some of the cost for the airline to fly to the destination.

Meanwhile, McNeill said that the reopening of the former Hedonism III and Braco have brought back a combined 457 rooms on stream.

"With these moves we are hoping to see positive effects on our arrivals and the director of tourism has indicated that given the figures we are "arresting the downward turn."

On the other hand, McNeill said, the good news is that cruise ship arrivals increased by 25.4 per cent.

In the meantime, the tourism minister said that the ministry has embarked on a series of stakeholder meetings with tourism partners and industry players islandwide to facilitate crucial dialogue.

A special task force has also been established to address the inconveniences of long lines at immigration areas in the island's airports.

"They have been charged to return to me with an implementable plan by the end of March," he announced.

Do you feel buying into Facebook now is a good investment for the long-run?
	Yes
	No

View Results
Results published weekly in Sunday Finance

Username:
Password:

Teen killed for laughing at man who fell from bicycle

Stopover visitor arrivals remain flat