MONTEGO BAY — With occupancy levels still sluggish almost a year after the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States, some of the island’s high-end resorts are now aggressively targeting local guests, a practice usually reserved for the all-inclusives and smaller properties.

Both the luxurious Ritz-Carlton Rose Hall and the upscale Half Moon Hotel in Montego Bay, for example, are offering special rates for locals, now through October. And while they may have offered similar specials in the past, what is unusual this time around is how they are pushing these deals — via ads in the local media.

“I think there’s more of an effort in terms of promoting it, because I am just as surprised as you are by the ads,” president of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association, Josef Forstmayr, told the Observer. “It shows that we are making a bigger effort now to attract (local) visitors. I would say yes, certainly for the luxury end, it certainly is a more focused way of attracting the affluent Jamaican domestic audience.”

He added that the all-inclusives have always been able to attract Jamaicans because of their “entertainment value” and there have always been locals who would visit small villas for a romantic getaway. But last year, industry players signed an agreement with the Association of Building Societies, which was aimed at stimulating domestic travel.

Still, there was always the realisation that this would only attract clients to a limited number of the high-end properties.

“With that understanding that we signed last year, we really wanted to offer all the members of these building societies access to our hotels at the best possible rates in order to stimulate domestic travel,” the JHTA head said. “But all this was done realising, obviously, that a Jamaica Grande, a Holiday Inn, a Hedonism II and III will always be the most popular choice and then come your more upscale all-inclusives.”

But the combination of a slowdown in business as a result of September 11, and a more affluent Jamaican society, Forstmayr said, has now made the local market even more attractive to the higher end properties. And they have changed the way they spend their advertising dollar.

In their ad, The Ritz Carlton Rose Hall, for example, are trying to lure Jamaicans to “take a short drive to Montego Bay” and sample their triple A, five diamond resort for anywhere between US$99 to US$179 per night. Those special rates are in effect until October 15.

The Half Moon ad urges locals to “stay at home and we’ll give you the moon”. Now, through October 31, single rooms are US$130, while the double occupancy rate is US$168.

Not to be outdone, the all-inclusives are still trying to grab their share of the local market.

Using full page ads in the Observer, Beaches Boscobel, for example, has offered adult rates from US$150 per night double occupancy.

“You go fishing where the fish are and that really is what is at the bottom of this,” Forstmayr said. “Why not go after the fish while they are there all around you? We have a more affluent consumer and hence the hotel sector feels that it’s only prudent to go after it by advertising.”