“For us, Latin America is a crucial market,” Jonathan Newnham said, his eyes lighting up with excitement. As director of operations at Sandals Upton Estate, he had always known that the region held vast potential for the resort.

The annual staging of the Sandals Latin America Travel Advisors Golf Tournament, Newnham said, is seen as crucial for growth as Latin America is a major market for the resorts.

According to Newnham, the availability of direct flights from various airlines has made Jamaica an increasingly attractive destination for Latin American travellers, and his Sandals team is actively working to capitalise on this opportunity, expanding their reach and promoting the English-speaking Caribbean, particularly Jamaica, as a prime vacation spot for this market.

“Yeah, for us it’s big because Latin America is a big selling point for us,” Newnham told the Jamaica Observer.

“We have some straight flights now through the different airlines. So for us, we’re trying to continue to expand our reach and let them know that the English-speaking Caribbean, particularly Jamaica, is a great destination for them to come and enjoy.

“The aim is for us, is to showcase what we have to offer here. I mean, for them to come, to see, and then will return and sell it back to their guests and in their respective regions. We want them to get to experience what we have to offer here, not just at the golf club, but at the resorts here in the Ochi Rios region, as well as the rest of the Sandals Resorts in Jamaica as well.”

Gary Sadler, executive vice-president of sales and industry relations at Unique Vacations, emphasised the importance of travel advisors in promoting the Caribbean region.

“You have the ability to sell the Caribbean, especially the English-speaking Caribbean,” he said. “Every time a visitor from Latin America visits the Caribbean, it’s the quality vacation that you sell that makes a huge difference.”

Sadler encouraged travel advisors to continue striving for excellence and emphasised the importance of collaboration in promoting the Sandals brand and the Caribbean region.

“Your influence in the Latin American market is undeniable, and so I urge you to continue your relentless pursuit of excellence. Together, we can further strengthen the Sandals brand and ensure that Jamaica and the Caribbean remain top-of-mind destinations for travellers from Latin America,” he said.

As he concluded, Sadler’s tone turned heartfelt. “We’re grateful that you can make it Sandals and you can make it Jamaica,” he said, his voice filled with appreciation. “I sincerely hope that everyone had a wonderful experience. Thank you for your commitment to Jamaica, and thank you for your commitment to Sandals.” With that, he ended his address, leaving a lasting impression on the advisors.

The stunning Sandals Dunn’s River and Sandals Ochi resorts played hosts to the 2024 Sandals Latin America Travel Advisors Golf Tournament. This year’s event brought together 50 travel advisors from 11 countries for a two-day golfing extravaganza.

The countries that participated were Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile, Peru, Panama, Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Mexico.

The introduction of the brand new Dunn’s River resort, while smaller in scale of participants, has proven beneficial by creating a more intimate experience for guests.

Newnham said that the smaller size allows for greater flexibility, accommodating smaller events, leading to a more enjoyable experience for everyone.

“We want to continue to take it up a notch, welcoming even more teams and ensuring that our guests have an unforgettable experience. So because of the change to resort, we wanted to showcase them the brand new resort, Dunn’s River, and a little smaller field, but it actually was beneficial than that it’s a more intimate experience for them,” he said.

Newnham said that the feedback from the golf course has been consistently positive, encouraging continued enhancements and plans for future growth.

“The resorts have been steadily improving over the past 10 years, with each year exceeding the previous one in terms of quality and experience. It has been great and we look forward to continue to enhance it and make hope for another 10 years,” he said.

The tournament, held at the scenic Sandals Golf and Country Club in Upton Estate culminated Monday, September 2, 2024 with two teams from Argentina being crowned the champions. Both teams tied on 68 points after the two days.

The team that consisted of Gabriel Miguens, Pablo Moioni, Gaston Serra, and Ulises Chiappe scored 34 points on day one and 34 points on day two.

While the team that consisted of Maria Luisa Rodriquez, Fernando Rafael Quintes, Pablo Wolinsky, and Cesar Suarez scored 36 points on day one and 32 points on day two.

Team Peru (Cesar Ruiz, Denitza Almeyda, Diego Sorni, and Micaela Oslcese) scored 39 points on day one and 33 points on day two for a total of seven points, finishing in third place.

“Latin America was sometimes a curse in that we don’t get the weather, but this year the weather cooperated with two beautiful days of sunshine, and it was a lovely two days,” Newnham recalled, smiling.