Buyers from India, Luxembourg, Mexico, Panama, Peru and Spain will, for the first time, attend this year’s staging of Jamaica Product Exchange (JAPEX), the country’s annual tourism trade show that helps generate heavy visitor traffic.

“We have delegates from the traditional markets like the USA, Canada and Europe, including England and Germany, and we’re looking forward to welcoming those from new markets,” Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) President Omar Robinson said.

“We are encouraged by the continued interest in brand Jamaica, year after year,” said Robinson, who noted that JAPEX provides a forum to strengthen partnerships between local industry players and international tour operators, wholesalers and travel agents.

He noted, too, that hundreds of travel agents from the USA, Canada and the Caribbean, as well as a strong media contingent, will be in attendance at the trade show, where buyers and suppliers will engage in one-on-one meetings, updates and negotiations.

The JHTA, which hosts of the annual tourism trade show in collaboration with the Jamaica Tourist Board, is reporting steady registration by local suppliers and international buyers for the event scheduled for September 9-11 in Montego Bay.

In addition to booths mounted by various JHTA-member hotels and attractions and allied companies, there will be a special pavilion for members of the Tourism Linkages Council featuring agencies like JAMPRO, the Jamaica Business Development Corporation and the Jamaica Manufacturers & Exporters Association.

Robinson said that JAPEX, in addition to providing the opportunity for buyers and sellers to meet in an atmosphere conducive to doing business, affords buyers a chance to experience all the destination has to offer, including the cuisine, culture and most importantly, the people.

“No video, no brochure, no advertisement could ever be as valuable as being on island, enjoying Jamaican hospitality first-hand and having a powerful reference point to sell our attributes to their customers,” Robinson said.

“Each year our suppliers, our JHTA members, take full advantage of the opportunity to showcase their accommodations, attractions, and allied services and the deals they make and business they do at JAPEX help keep their businesses successful,” Robinson explained.

JAPEX is open to registered buyers and suppliers, while local dignitaries and industry specialists are invited for special social events including the Sandals Welcome Party that has become a tradition whenever JAPEX is held in Montego Bay.