A UK trade mission to Jamaica yesterday had high praise for the island as an investment hub, saying that it compared favourably to other leading economies in the Caribbean.

The economies are those of Barbados and Trinidad, which they visited ahead of their arrival in Jamaica on Tuesday.

The visits formed part of their 15-day mission to the region to drum up business for small to medium size enterprises of the West Midlands region in the UK.

“I think Barbados, certainly for the last 10 years, has been a very strong economy. Trinidad, obviously, on the back of its energy income is very strong in the Caribbean. But it seems to me that Jamaica is really beginning to rebrand itself as a place that is open for business,” business leader for the mission, Athelston Sealey, told the Observer.

Mission head Ajay Desai echoed his sentiment.

“Each economy has something different to offer. The market in Barbados is relatively small, but as a result it is easy to get from A to B. Trinidad is a totally different market because here we are looking at really oil and gas, and the changes in their economy that is taking place, while Jamaica is sort of almost more homogenous and much larger,” said Desai, representing the 11-member group from the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce.

Jamaica, they said, had become particularly attractive in recent times due to improvements in the road and communication networks, as well as the upgrade of the two international airports.

Observer CEO Edward Khoury, who met with the group early yesterday, attested to this but cautioned that the island still had a way to go to safeguard investment. Developing a more “business-friendly environment”, he said, was key, adding that it is a task that the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce (JCC) has set itself to help the government with.

The fact that Jamaica has been wooing members of the diaspora to invest locally has, in the interim, also appealed to the UK group.

“In West Midlands, we have the largest ethnic minority population in the UK. We also have among the ethnic minority a large diaspora firstly of people of Caribbean origin and secondly, people of Jamaican origin. And when the world concentrates on India and China, Russia, we are very keen not to forget that there is business to be done here,” said Desai. “We also want more and more ethnic minority companies to take up the UK Trade and Invest services. And this (mission) is to encourage those companies to take up that opportunity.”

Entrepreneurs forming part of the mission were kept busy in talks with local interests yesterday afternoon.

Nicole Senior-McLean, sales representative with Carib Star Shipping Limited, was excited at the prospect of partnerships with UK businesses.

“For me, it is really something that will develop over time. So I will follow-up with them. We are just trying to explore all the options to see if there is any business to be aimed,” McLean said, following discussions with Desai and other chamber representatives.

Beverley Robinson, director of Guardian Insurance Brokers, was similarly enthused by the trade mission’s visit and the prospects for business development. Beyond that, she was hopeful that Jamaican small businesses would take a leaf out of the Brits’ book.