WHITE HOUSE, Westmoreland — For the past week Jamaica received massive promotion across the United States as 87 radio stations from 42 different markets in that country broadcast live from Sandals South Coast in Westmoreland.

The radio remote, as the promotion is known, was staged in collaboration with the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), and Gary Sadler, executive vice-president of sales and industry relations at Unique Vacations — an affiliate of the worldwide representative of Sandals and Beaches resorts — expects that the effort will yield tremendous success for the island this winter tourism season.

“I usually like to say, if you do the work, things will fall into place, and the most important thing is that we have done the work of promoting Jamaica,” Sadler told journalists on the sidelines of the promotion.

The radio remote came three months after Sandals and Beaches resorts’ Jamaica Love event that attracted approximately 1,200 travel advisers from around the world to Jamaica.

“[This is] something that the Caribbean had never seen before. It is about promoting the destination because the reality is, we are a Jamaican company, and the fact that we are a Jamaican company means that we have to promote the Caribbean. We have to promote Jamaica. We can’t just pack up and leave. We have to stay here to find ways to make it work, and that’s what this is all about. It’s about investing in the product,” said Sadler.

He pointed to the renovations at Sandals South Coast, including to the popular over-the-water suites, saying that the property is basically “a brand new resort”.

“Everything that we do is about reinventing ourselves, reinventing the product, making the product better, making the product stronger, and Sandals 2.0 is clearly a definition that we’re doing everything to keep the destination alive. Once you do that, you go out to your market and you promote,” added Sadler.

He explained that Sandals 2.0 is a representation of the brand’s next chapter which aims at redefining the future of luxury travel in the Caribbean through modern property designs, and new food and beverage offerings.

Sadler noted that the radio remote was held at a time when freezing temperatures are being experienced in the US.

“What is interesting is that it’s very cold this time of year in all of these markets. So, all the DJs that came down for the radio remote are pretty excited about the warmth of Jamaica and how exciting it is to be able to sell product Jamaica,” stated Sadler.

Sean “Coop” Tabler of BIG 98.1 (WOGL-FM) in Philadelphia, who has broadcast from Jamaica five times over the years, agreed.

Tabler’s morning programme, The Coop Show, currently has a listenership of 1.2 million people.

“I’m thinking Jamaica is a little bit nicer than Philadelphia at 18 degrees, right? So, I know that all of my listeners are certainly thinking about getting out of that cold and spending their time here in Jamaica, and I recommend it. It’s absolutely beautiful here,” said Tabler.

He added that his listeners in the US are enthused about travelling to Jamaica.

“We’re giving away five trips on our radio station to beautiful Jamaica, [specifically] to Sandals South Coast, and they’re very excited about that. They have been flooding our website, and they’ve been loving the pictures and the videos that I’ve done,” added Tabler, who declared that of all the countries he has visited in the region, Jamaica remains his favourite.

“I am going to be honest… Jamaica is the most fun and it’s evident. I can show the evidence every time on air. I can say, ‘Look, it’s fun. You’re going to have a great time when you come to Jamaica. Not only are you going to drink, not only are you going to have a beautiful island and beautiful weather… but you’re going to have a great time when you’re here because the people of Jamaica make sure that you have a great time when you’re here’,” added Tabler.

Public relations officer at the JTB, Sicourney Jackson, pointed to the benefits of hosting a radio remote.

“Participating in radio remotes allows us to continue to spread the message about Jamaica and how Jamaica continues to remain the destination of choice for all travellers — travellers who are adventurous, [and for] romance.

“When we participate in radio remotes it is to get that message across. We’ve had these radio stations here which have a wide audience. So we continue to ensure that these radio stations promote the destination,” said Jackson.

“Of course, we have other means of sending out the message, which is through television and other partnerships. But we still believe that radio remains relevant… and we continue to ensure that whether it’s radio, television, social media, or a digital platform, that we are in every single target market and persons are hearing the message through these channels,” added Jackson.