Discover Jamaica By Bike (DJBB) organisers are pleased with its fourth staging which finished on Sunday.

The six-day event saw 45 cyclists from the United States, United Kingdom, and Finland join local cyclists on a nearly 650 kilometres-long excursion across the island by bicycle to visit its various destinations and other aspects of its culture.

The event started in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic and just completed its fourth year. DJBB Director Kevin Chung says the event was no easy feat to accomplish but the previous years under lockdown conditions taught the body enough for the tour to be improved year after year.

He is also thankful for the improvement to the national highway network for making the St Thomas and Portland legs easier this year.

But he is most satisfied by the economic benefits he says the country gains from this venture.

“There’s always been something in social media when you talk about tourism that the small person is not feeling the effects, well Discover Jamaica By Bike is spreading it to the small persons, so those are the people that we’re supporting,” he said.

Chung says the event means greater economic benefit for Jamaicans.

“It’s six days, but if you times 45 [cyclists] by six, then you get the spending power of the 45 people that’s in Jamaica for six days,” he said. “Then we went to hotels, restaurants, vendors, coconut stalls, so you see the economic impact. It’s not just somebody coming for one night and then leaving. Also, the money is staying in Jamaica because the businesses that we’re supporting are locally owned.”

Jamaica Tourist Board Acting Deputy Director Peter Mullings says the body supports initiatives like these, especially in sports tourism.

“This one here that we’re looking at with Discover Jamaica By Bike is an appeal to the cycling enthusiasts and adventure seekers,” he said. “It is an opportunity to get them acquainted with the balance of the island and also to get them into the communities and to participate in the communities. That’s where the opportunity is to offer some economic development within those spaces.”

Jamaica Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF)Executive Director Dr Carey Wallace agrees with Mullings.

“At the TEF, our job is to enhance ‘Destination Jamaica’ to give visitors more reasons to choose Jamaica,” he said. “Whether it’s our sun, sea, and sand, which is already a great reason, but with all the other passion areas, and of course, cycling is an important passion that we want to see grow from where we are today.

“After all, people say we’re a great lifestyle destination. You can go cycling somewhere in Europe where the skies are grey or you can come here for the sunshine, where there are gastronomic delights everywhere, where it’s warm people, great music, beaches, rivers, waterfalls, blue holes, mineral spas… We have so much going for us here in Jamaica. Our mantra at the TEF is to make all Jamaicans wealthy from tourism.”

Finnish endurance athlete Pekka Ahtonen has been doing endurance sports for over 20 years, switching between running and cycling, and considers himself medium-advanced in skill. This is his third time in Jamaica, but his first ride with DJBB. He arrived two months before the excursion to reacquaint himself with the environment but also to soak up the “vibes”, which he says is his favourite thing about Jamaica.

Ahtonen has ridden around 1,300 miles in Jamaica and has gotten used to conditions he expected to be hot and humid.

“I came first to Jamaica two years ago,” he said. “I was between clubs. I was sailing the Leeward Islands and the Caribbean. From that moment, 10 years ago, I got hooked to the Caribbean, then I decided, ‘Jamaica, yeah, Bob Marley, sounds good, why not? Let’s give it a shot, and now I’m here. It’s the third time and probably not the last time I’ll visit the island.”