To further drive recovery in the tourism sector, a re-engagement of the Japanese market, ranks high on the list of priorities says Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett.

Following “fruitful discussions” with senior executives of the Japan Association of Travel Agents (JATA) during the Japan Expo in Tokyo this week, Bartlett said the strategy was to tap into Japan’s huge outbound market.

“Japan represents a key market for re-engagement given the country’s outbound travel of over 20 million in 2019 and the strong cultural and diplomatic connections with Jamaica. The timing is also perfect as COVID-19 restrictions in Japan are set to be lifted by October 11,” the minister said.

“There is strong synergy between Jamaica and Japan that dates back to our nearly 60 years of diplomatic partnership and this is good base to strengthen our ties in tourism and resilience building. Now is the time to innovate and attract Japanese visitors with our authentic Jamaican experiences,” he added.

Between April-August of this year, it is estimated that approximately 1.1 million Japanese travelled as markets began to reopen. Hiroyuki Takahashi, chairperson of JATA, in expressing optimism in the rebound of Japanese travel, said that tour operators were ready to begin selling as soon as the restrictions were lifted. JATA is one of the largest associations of travel agents that has over 1,000 active travel companies.

Data suggest that among Japanese travellers, culinary experiences remain a key motivator for travel and with Jamaica known for its exotic and delectable gastronomy offerings, this presents an opportunity ripe for exploitation. This, even as other traditional motivators such as shopping, natural and scenic attractions, historic/cultural attractions remain key drivers.

“We are seeing a pent-up demand for travel and will be capitalising on this with some of our known and beloved assets, like our Blue Mountain coffee, diverse culinary offerings and infectious reggae. Discussions with JATA is to yield a collaboration with JTB to have a mega familiarisation trip of the best multi-lingual travel agents to Jamaica early next year,” said Donavan White, director of tourism.

Bartlett, who advocated for a ‘Rethinking of Tourism’ in his message on ‘World Tourism Day’ observed on September 27, said that it was in crafting an economically sustainable, socially inclusive and environmentally friendly sector that economies will achieve the strongest recovery.

“We are opening up new markets and creating new demand in uncontested market spaces instead of going down the well-trodden path and competing in saturated markets.

“What this means on the ground is that we are harnessing our culture and heritage to tell the authentic Jamaican story — creating experiences that will get visitors out of the hotels and into our communities; training and building the capacity of our people to respond to an ever-evolving industry; renewing our focus on destination assurance; and providing technical and financial support for small and medium tourism enterprises (SMTEs), which contribute invaluably to the authenticity and totality of the visitor experience,” he stated.