ROSE HALL, St James — Director of Tourism John Lynch yesterday expressed confidence that 2014 will be a banner year for the island’s tourism sector.

“Jamaica’s tourism product is the best it has ever been in years and I am able to say this with assurance,” Lynch told journalists at a Caribbean Marketplace Media Luncheon held at the Half Moon Hotel here in St James.

Arguing that the ‘testimonials and awards earned justify the confidence,” Lynch pointed to a slew of positives in the sector, which earned roughly US$2 billion last year. “Our room stock exceeds 30,000, which has been bolstered by the opening of several newly renovated properties in 2013. This has resulted in the addition of approximately 800 rooms,” the tourism director boasted.

He noted that the island has welcomed some established brands in its hotels’ portfolio, which include Blue Diamond Resorts, which opened its new upscale Royalton White Sands property in Trelawny; Melia Hotels, which has taken over the Braco Village, also in Trelawny, under a 15-year management agreement; Sensatori which opened its Karisma Resorts in Negril; and Sagicor, which has taken over its third property under the Jewel Resorts brand.

Additionally, he said, the construction of the Marriott Courtyard is now underway in Kingston, and Hyatt Ziva Rose Hall, will upgrade the former Ritz-Carlton Resort and Spa in St James, which will open with increased rooms later this year. The tourism director also pointed to the diversity and the range of the island’s tourism product offerings, which, he said, include culture, nature and adventure in both land and water-based activities.

 Last year, Jamaica welcomed more than two million stopover visitors, the first in the country’s history. Meanwhile, the director of tourism has assured local tourism players that Jamaica will have adequate airlift into the island this winter season. “Our target for the winter season is over one million seats.

This represents an increase of nearly 50,000 seats or almost five per cent over the last winter season,” he said. Tourism and Entertainment Minister Dr Wykeham McNeill has also expressed confidence that this year will be another successful year for the island’s tourism sector.

 “We have every reason to believe that this year will be another successful year for the industry, especially in light of the fact that there continues to be positive growth signs in the economies of our traditional North American markets,” McNeill told the luncheon.

 He added that the island has also started to see growth in arrivals out of the UK last summer, after five years of decline. “We are currently running 4.3 per cent above last year’s performance yearto- date. Building on that, there is an expectation that we will do well in that market this year,” said McNeill.