MONTEGO BAY, St James — The Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association’s (JHTA) flagship marketing event Jamaica Product Exchange (JAPEX) will be held in Ocho Rios instead of Montego Bay this year. The change comes as the meetings and events segment of the tourism product pivots to match room availability while western Jamaica continues to rebound from last October’s Hurricane Melissa.

“That event is being relocated to Ocho Rios as a result of the lack of [room] availability in Montego Bay,” JHTA president Christopher Jarrett told the Jamaica Observer Monday.

JAPEX, an annual event, is usually held at Montego Bay Convention Centre, drawing thousands of industry players and providing a boost for nearby hotels and attractions.

Jarrett did not disclose the exact location in Ocho Rios that will host JAPEX 2026 but he explained that the change in venue is part of a wider industrywide push to adjust as needed until things are back to normal.

“We intend to continue to pivot as best we can to ensure that the events are still in Jamaica — whether it’s in Ocho Rios, Montego Bay or Kingston,” he said.

According to tourism insiders, the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE) segment of the market, in particular, has been feeling the pinch as western Jamaica rebounds from the Category 5 storm.

“We are seeing some of that but we have been pivoting and moving it across the island,” Jarrett conceded.

The fallout from ongoing geopolitical tension in the Middle East, which has resulted in fewer travellers from some traditional markets, has exacerbated the challenges but the JHTA head said pre-conflict efforts to tap into other sources are paying off.

“Over the last few years, there’s been a build-up in focus on the Latin America market and we’re seeing some of those results now. We remain optimistic because we expect that the Latin American market, which has been more vibrant in recent times, will take up some of the slack that we’ll lose from the United States,” Jarrett explained.

However, he is adamant that the work being done by the JHTA and its partners will help Jamaica weather the current storm.

“We are concerned, we are definitely concerned but I’m just saying that whatever we should have been doing to mitigate this situation that exists now, we were already doing,” he stressed.

“In other words, all the marketing, and so on [that we have been doing] in Latin America and other regions — Colombia, Brazil, and these other places. Copa Airlines has increased airlift and some other things like this; we are hopeful and optimistic that notwithstanding the fallout in the US market that we’ll see some pick-up,” the seasoned hotelier added.

While Jarrett noted that the sector is not as vibrant as they would like at this time, he said efforts are being made to highlight Jamaica’s strengths.

“We’ll just continue, along with our partners, the Jamaica Tourist Board to try and market as best we can, Jamaica being the safe, secure and seamless travel destination,” he said.

They will also be hoping to tap into the local market.

“We’ve been pushing the staycations, perhaps not as aggressively as we ought to, because that’s really up to each individual property to announce whatever specials or benefits for the locals that may be extended,” Jarrett explained.

“But yes, I think if you talk to the hoteliers individually, they will tell you that they’ve been encouraging staycations. You may have seen a few ads out for special rates for locals and so on,” he added.

It is a view that is shared by JHTA Montego Bay chapter chair, Kerry Ann Quallo-Casserly, who described it as a call to Jamaicans to support the sector.

“Locals who would normally go to places like Dubai, USA should choose staycations,” she urged.

QUALLO-CASSERLY… Jamaicans should choose staycations.

This file photo shows trade activity on the JAPEX floor at the Montego Bay Convention Centre.