Programme coming to re-image Jamaica as a destination
PERMANENT Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, Jennifer Griffith, has been selected to lead a team of stakeholders to develop a comprehensive programme for re-imaging Jamaica as a destination.
Making his 2019/20 Sectoral Debate presentation in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett said the stakeholders will consist of experienced and skilled public and private sector individuals.
Among the areas of the country that will be re-imagined under the programme are sections of St Thomas; Montego Bay, St James; Negril, Westmoreland; Port Antonio, Portland; areas on the south coast; downtown Kingston; Ocho Rios in St Ann; and Port Royal, Kingston.
“The effort is ongoing and the arrangements are currently in place,” the minister said.
Meanwhile, Bartlett said Jamaica Vacations Limited (JAMVAC) has been improved to create greater capacity to respond to the growing demand for additional airlift in Jamaica.
He pointed out that the country will have and continue to have, a series of new flights into the island from destinations across the world.
They include Eurowings from Germany; Copa Airlines from Panama; WestJet, Swoop and Sunwing from Canada; Frontier Airlines from the United States; PegasFly and Nordwind from Russia, and LATAM from South America.
Additionally, new gateways will open services to Jamaica and will include a new charter by Thomas Cook, between Manchester, United Kingdom and Montego Bay; Southwest Airlines — which has scheduled service between St Louis, Missouri and Montego Bay; and Sun Country, which will operate a charter service from Dallas in Texas to Montego Bay.
Bartlett indicated that the seat capacity for Jamaica this summer will be more than 1.4 million, which is 108,872 or 8.4 per cent more than in 2018.
“The big growth is from the United States, an increase of over 100,000 seats for the summer period through August 2019, compared with the same period in 2018. This represents the confidence US airline partners have placed in Jamaica as a destination,” the minister said.
