THE Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) is hoping that with its current staging of its market exchange show, Jamex, in Montego Bay, Jamaican hotels will get a bigger slice of the US$122-billion market for group and incentives travel.

“When you speak individually to the hotels that really go after groups, their bottom line is to move at least 25 to 35 per cent of their total business into group business,” explained JTB’s manager of groups and conventions, Marcia Bullock.

According to Bullock, the average group tourist spends as much as three times more than vacationers who usually have to save for years for that one special vacation.

“A company that sponsors a group — whether it’s a sales meeting or an incentive programme which is a reward for an achievement — they themselves have to put their best foot forward as they either thank the employees or get the employee motivated to do better,” Bullock explained. “So they are always looking for the special events, food and beverage, theme events, gifts, attractions, they have to leave their participants with that ‘wow’ factor.”

Thirty planners, who source destinations for the lucrative meetings market will be a captive audience over the next two days as about 15 local hoteliers try to convince them to chose Jamaica.

“We invite them down for the weekend and all of the participating properties host them to functions, site inspections, they visit the attractions in the area,” Bullock said.

But one drawback is that there is limited space available across the island and this makes it impossible to host really large groups. The Renaissance Jamaica Grande has the most space to offer with enough space for 2,200 people if they do not require the use of tables. But it has the drawback of being far from an international airport.

Montego Bay, on the other hand, is close to the Sangster International Airport but its largest conference facility is at Half Moon, which can only hold 500 people.

There has long been talk of building a convention centre in the western city, which would give the island a fighting chance in attracting large conventions and trade shows. But there has been very little progress with actual implementation. According to Bullock, that facility is vital if we are to become serious competitors in the groups and incentives market.

“I think (the need for the facility) is quite urgent because it would allow us to be more competitive in the marketplace and bring in larger groups, trade shows and special exhibits, special events, etc,” she said. “So I think the need is urgent to actually grow the market and to really see a significant growth because right now once you get into the thousands then we are limited.”

But despite this drawback, the JTB has staged Jamex over the past three years, hoping to attract those who the island can actually accommodate. She said that the fallout from the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States impacted negatively on the results of last year’s staging in Ocho Rios but Bullock is optimistic that this year’s event will reap some benefits. But the JTB representative stressed that hoteliers also have a role to play after Jamex is over.