TWO months into his new job as Jamaica’s director of tourism, Paul Pennicook, still wearing his trademark air of ease, has been making significant changes to the operations of the much-criticised Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB).

The JTB over the past two years, has soaked up heavy flak from the tourism sector which accused it of spending too much of its budget on administration, instead of on straight-up marketing and promoting of the destination.

Pennicook seems to be taking that criticism on board, as he apeared firmly set on shifting the savings expected from a reduction in the JTB’s administrative expenses to marketing the island.

The cut in administration costs will be realised after the Board reorganises its operations based on the recommendations of a review conducted by Deloitte & Touche.

“The reorganisation will definitely see a reduction in administrative expenses, and whatever savings will be put into marketing and promoting the destination,” Pennicook told the Sunday Observer.

Another change that should win the support of the sector is the placing of the agency’s marketing authority inside its corporate headquarters in Kingston.

“The person who will be in charge of the advertising and public relations agencies will be based in Kingston reporting to me,” Pennicook said. “That is a central part of this revised organisation.”

Formerly, that job was performed by Noel Mignott out of the JTB’s New York office. Mignott resigned last September after an anonymous e-mail began to circulate, accusing senior JTB New York staff of bad management, misappropriating government resources, influence peddling and possible fraud.

The e-mail resulted in an investigation of the New York office by the JTB’s internal auditor and a follow-up by auditor-general Adrian Strachan.

Early this year, the JTB turned over the report to local criminal lawyer Frank Phipps to determine whether the agency should prosecute or seek some other way to recover money allegedly misused by staffers.

While the JTB awaits Phipps’ conclusion, it is preparing to implement the recommendations of the Deloitte & Touche review that Pennicook is convinced will make the agency lean and efficient.

“Coming out of the report are some recommendations to do things more efficiently, making use of technology and communication and in that regard, we will be closing some physical offices here and abroad,” he said.

“This is simply an attempt to be more efficient. We will not abandon the markets where we will be closing offices. We will have our marketing representatives in these areas and certainly in the case overseas, what we will be having is, for want of a better description, virtual offices, where the representatives will … report to a main office. The decision as to what will be closed and what will remain open has not yet been made. But, there will, in fact, be some adjustment.”

Until that decision is made, though, the JTB is about to increase its noise level in the travel market with a major three-week sales blitz planned for the US east and west coasts, midwest and southeast starting May 19.

“What we are planning to do, subsequent to the blitzes,” explained Pennicook, “are some travel agent fly-ins in June and we’re working towards having some radio remotes at that time.”

The radio remotes, he said, “work quite successfully”, given that American radio audiences hear first-hand about the attributes of Jamaica from their favourite presenters as they broadcast live from the island.

Pennicook and his board have also instructed the JTB’s public relations agencies to increase the number of group and individual press trips to the island as part of their effort to capture a significant share of a market he acknowledged has shrunk because of the Iraq war and soft economies in America and Europe.

“What we’re doing to ensure that we get our share of what is out there is the blitzes and we’re proposing to be back on television in the US on or about May 19 and in the UK late May,” he said.

The plan for continental Europe, he said, involved print advertising and the JTB’s sales representatives continuing to pound the pavements.

The television ad, he said, while keeping the now signature One Love musical theme, has been adjusted slightly to reflect the times, encouraging people to come together in Jamaica.

Pennicook appeared quite excited by the ad and even more so about the JTB’s new website, scheduled to be launched this Tuesday as the Jamaica Product Exchange (JAPEX) concludes.

“I think our new website is going to be a tremendous asset in promoting Jamaica,” he said. “It really gives you a feel for the texture, the fabric of Jamaica, not just the beautiful beaches and the mountains. In that regard, I see this as the best brochure that Jamaica has had for years, and this should really go a far way in helping to sell Jamaica in its entirety.”

Pennicook’s emphasis on the website is rooted in his conviction that Jamaica can get more visitors if the island promotes more of its attributes.

“I want to, as much as possible, promote Jamaica as being multi-dimensional, as opposed to just being sand, sea and sun,” he said. “I think it is fair to say that we do have some strong competitive advantages compared to our neighbours that we have not made enough use of — our attractions, culture, heritage, music. I think we need to make even more use of that to deliver a fulfilling, enriching type of holiday experience, as opposed to just rest and relaxation.

“People travelling today are looking for more of that… and I want to make sure that I use all the assets that Jamaica has to get that point across and therefore sell people on the varied experiences that they can get taking a Jamaican holiday.”

Starting today, he and his team at the JTB, as well as their partners in the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association, will have another opportunity to reiterate those attributes to the more than 65 international buyers, 150 travel agents and 50 journalists flying into the island for JAPEX.

The annual two-day tourism trade fair is being held in Kingston and is eagerly anticipated by small hoteliers in particular who get the opportunity to directly market their properties to the trade.

Pennicook is convinced that the trade fair will work for Jamaica, despite the state of the economies in the island’s major markets.

“Brand Jamaica is so strong, and there is such a diverse product mix here that we think we have an edge if we promote it right,” he said.