Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness announced Wednesday the coming of a new passenger terminal at the oft-overcrowded Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, St James, and confirmed that the previously foretold Negril International Airport in Westmoreland will become reality.

In arguably one of the best speeches of his political career, the Jamaican leader held hundreds of travel advisors and a deep audience of tourism partners in rapt attention, as he embraced the historic Sandals Jamaica Love sales event at Montego Bay Convention Centre in scenic Rosehall.

He used the occasion to pay heartfelt tribute to Sandals founder, the late Gordon “Butch” Stewart; his son Executive Chairman Adam Stewart, saying his dad “must be looking down on him and smiling for the new paths he is blazing”, and the thousands of Sandals team members who put the function together.

His presentation punctuated throughout by enthusiastic applause from the 1,000 travel advisors and stakeholders — the largest to be assembled at one place in the Caribbean — Dr Holness spoke of a Jamaica that has problems but which had turned the corner through a series of big ideas and projects that have taken the country nearer to fulfilling its potential for the first time.

In addition to the coming airport projects, he mentioned the ongoing US$320-million South coast highway that will link Harbour View in East Kingston to Port Antonio, Portland; the US$225-million perimeter road being built out of Montego Bay; the Lucea bypass road in Hanover that would “cost a massive investment” and “spending, in five years, more money than had been spent in the previous 30 years” to make the country more secure.

The airport projects would ensure that visitors could move seamlessly throughout the island, bringing with it the development of tourism in naturally beautiful and unspoilt places like Portland and St Mary.

The prime minister claimed much of the credit for his eight-year-old Administration but acknowledged that the Jamaican people had “struggled and sacrificed” to achieve a record 4.2 per cent unemployment; cutting the external debt in half and injecting more certainty into the economic and financial environment.

“We are at an inflection point where we can turn our potential into reality; where our results can be greater than our efforts to achieve them,” Dr Holness said, and thanked the tourism industry and visitors for their contribution to the advancement of the island nation.

Cheering on Holness in the audience were most of his Cabinet, as well as other members of Government whose presence indicated their recognition of the historic nature of the Sandals Jamaica Love marketplace, which stitched together every component of the tourism industry, from the smallest to the largest, to paint a compelling picture of the island to the travel advisors from across the globe.

There were greetings from representatives of some of the world’s largest travel groups, including the 100,000-strong Inter Nova Travel Group which accounted for more than 600,000 stopover visitors to Jamaica already this year; the American Society of Travel Advisors; the Association of Canadian Travel Agencies and Advisors; and two of the world’s largest airlines, American Airlines and Air Canada.

In the audience also were members of the diplomatic corps led by American Ambassador Nick Perry, who spoke briefly; captains of industry; financiers; and tour operators. Outside of the main hall, 20 vendors depicted the roadside experience, some selling craft, jelly coconut, sno-cone, and the like.

Upon his arrival in broiling mid-morning sun, Dr Holness stopped by the vendor stations and made a purchase from jelly vendor Garth Sinclair, fondly called “the necktie jelly man”, as well as the sno-cone vendor, Michael Coke.

Inside he appealed to the travel advisors to continue to sell Jamaica, noting that the island was not only about the three ‘esses’ — sun, sand, and sea. There was much laughter as he teased about another ‘s’, saying only that it was “not that one”.

“Jamaica is also known for other ‘esses’ — safety and security, sustainability and seamlessness; service and satisfaction. And, of course, we always want to be sexy,” he said, eliciting even more raucous laughter.

Gary Sadler, executive vice-president for global sales and industry relations at Miami-based Unique Vacations, affiliate of the worldwide representatives of Sandals and Beaches resorts, emceed the Jamaica Love event, which was described by one visitor as “loud, lavish and lovable”.