Tourism Linkages Hub eyes craft industry"s earning potential

BY KARENA BENNETT Business reporter bennettk@jamaicaobserver.com

Thursday, September 25, 2014    

The Tourism Linkages Hub (TLH) is seeking to develop Jamaica’s craft industry which, it says, has the potential to earn billions annually.

According to TLH Project Manager Carolyn McDonald-Riley, a single chain in the craft market industry can earn up to US$40 million ($4.5 billion) in annual revenues.

Plans are now under way to capitalise on the creativity of craft producers through exposure to high-end craft designs, gift shop operators and hoteliers, over the next six months.

“We can get far more out of our craft vending industry,” McDonald-Riley told the Business Observer.

“Our gift shop operators will tell you that they have travelled abroad and have bought craft items that could have been supplied in Jamaica,” she added.

Under the initiative, the TLH hopes to host a mini craft show where producers will be better able to understand the demands of the market. This is expected to boost the productivity of the sector and replace some of the 4,600 jobs lost among craft and related trade workers last year.

“We will be addressing what the products should look like to appeal to any buyer,” the project manager stated.

The Hub will also feature a price show, aimed at encouraging hoteliers and operators to support their own products, especially with local craft items being traded at lower prices than those from overseas.

The TLH will also be working closely with Sandals Resorts International to create a platform where manufacturers and CEOs can interact and develop business opportunities.

“We have invited the purchasing managers of all the hotels to come and meet with the persons in the production sector,” McDonald-Riley said.

Under the Ministry of Tourism and Entertainment, TLH creates and improves linkages between the tourism, manufacturing, agricultural and other sectors of the economy to stimulate further growth in those areas.

The Linkages Hub currently stages the monthly Agro-Tourism Farmers’ Market and Arts in the Park, and, for the first time, TLH has been included in the annual tourism trade show Jamaica Product Exchange.

Since its inception in June last year, the TLH has worked with manufacturers such as Boss Furniture Limited, McIntosh and Continental Bedding, and Pioneers Meat Company Limited.

Jamaica Fibreglass Products Limited (JFP), also a beneficiary of the TLH, has ongoing partnership with the Spanish Court Hotel. The JFP is currently exploring the possibility of partnering with a Spanish hotel operator under the National Insurance Fund (NIF) to supply furniture and fixtures to the company.

“That is currently at the procurement stage and the NIF has to do a public tender,” she said.

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Tourism Linkages Hub eyes craft industry"s earning potential

Tourism Minister expects boost in cruise sector next month

Tourism Minister Dr Wykeham McNeil has declared that Jamaica’s cruise sector will receive a significant boost next month, with Thomson Dream home porting one ot its vessels in Montego Bay. 

Thomson Dream, which is the cruise arm of  European travel and tourism company (TUI) made the announcement last year that it intends to base one of its cruise ships in Jamaica.     The home porting of the ship in Montego Bay will result in an additional four flights out of Europe each week, bringing passengers for the vessel.Dr McNeil says an estimated 30 per cent of  the passengers who come for the cruise ships are expected to stay at alocal  hotel.  The Tourism Minister also announced on Wednesday that the country welcomed 939,000 cruise passengers during the months, January to August. That was up 10 per cent from a year ago.  

Falmouth, which handles 700,000 passengers annually, is the biggest port of call in Jamaica, followed by Ocho Rios and Montego Bay.   

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Tourism Minister expects boost in cruise sector next month

Caribbean must continue to increase share of global tourism market – CTO

Ernie Seon

CASTRIES, St. Lucia, Monday September 15, 2014, CMC – The Secretary General of the Barbados-based Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), Hugh Riley, says while the Caribbean is forecasting another increase in arrivals for 2014, it is equally vital that it continues to increase its share of the global tourism market.

Speaking to the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) ahead of the September 17-19 State of the Industry conference (SOCIT) in the United States Virgin Islands, Riley said the CTO was heartened at the fact that arrivals to the region continue to grow and the prognosis for the industry remains good.

“In the Caribbean, arrivals continue to grow and thankfully we are now seeing the relationship between actual arrivals and revenue from those arrivals beginning to climb once again.

“So we see incomes starting to increase, so that earnings to spend is going up. So the prognosis is good from that point of view,” he noted.

However the Secretary General cautioned that it was vital that the Caribbean focuses on staying “ahead of the curve”, and on how the rest of the world is performing.

“For while we want our numbers to continue to increase with the Caribbean crossing the 25 million mark at the end of last year, and we are forecasting that we will again see an increase on that by the end of 2014, certainly if you look at the increase so far this year, there is every reason to believe that, all things being equal we will see another increase in arrival by the end of 2014,” he said.

But Riley asserts that this was not the only metric, noting that the Caribbean needed to ensure it was gaining market share and that while the rest of the world was getting involved in the tourism business, this region was increase its share of the pie.

“So while the prognosis is good, there is an absolute need for us to come to places where there is information on what’s happening around the world, places where we can consider solutions to our problems and where information is available about our best practices and inspire creative thought.

“We must be able to leave the conference feeling charged up to go out and do something different, go out and change something for the better in the business that we belong,” he noted.

Caribbean and global tourism stakeholders gather in St. Thomas to discuss and devise strategies to position Caribbean tourism for major change.
SOTIC is being organised in collaboration with the USVI’s department of tourism.

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Caribbean must continue to increase share of global tourism market – CTO

McNeil off to regional tourism meeting

9:05 am, Tue September 16, 2014

Tourism Minister Dr. Wykeham McNeill is heading to the U.S. Virgin Islands to attend the meeting of the Council of Tourism Ministers and Commissioners of  the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) which begins on Wednesday.    
This is one of  a series of  business meetings that will precede the CTO’s annual “State of  the Industry” conference.
It will bring together Caribbean tourism practitioners, policy makers as well as the public and private sectors to discuss issues and identify solutions that will benefit the sector.

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McNeil off to regional tourism meeting

Former Jamaica tourism minister to stand trial

Former Jamaica tourism minister Daryl Vaz (Image credit: Flickr)

KINGSTON, Jamaica, Friday September 12, 2014, CMC – Former tourism minister Daryl Vaz is due to go on trial early next year on corruption related charges.

Vaz, who will now appear in court on February 16, had been charged in April 2012, following allegations that he conspired with former Senior Superintendent James Forbes and businessman Bruce Bicknell, to quash a bribery charge against Bicknell.

Prosecutors alleged, that Vaz approached the arresting officer, Sergeant Jubert Llewellyn, and promised him “gold bars”…a code word for a promotion, if he withdrew the charge against Bicknell.

In July, Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Paula Llewellyn, withdrew the bribery charge against Bicknell. She then argued that it would have been difficult to mount a successful case against him.

However, Forbes was convicted and fined J$800,000 (One Jamaica dollar =US$0.004 cents) for his role in the conspiracy.

Vaz, who is the opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Member of Parliament for the constituency of West Portland, appeared in court on Thursday when the trial date was set.

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Former Jamaica tourism minister to stand trial

Lakshman Ratnapala: Testing time for tourism

Lakshman Ratnapala

SAN FRANCISO, United States, Wednesday September 10, 2014, IPS – It is testing time for global tourism. The ongoing political conflicts across North Africa, compounded by military action in the Middle East, Ukraine and Afghanistan, and the spread of the Ebola virus disease in West Africa have put to the test the ability of international tourism to continue to grow amidst crises.

If past performance is an indication of future results, the answer would be “yes, global tourism can and will meet the challenges of growth” as it has shown during periods of war and pestilence in the past.

“Not so,” say some observers. In fact, the truth depends on what happens from here on as the winter season travelers from the source markets of Europe and North America flock to sunny climes elsewhere.

First, let’s look at past performance. Last year, 2013, was a banner year for tourism, when for the first time, over one billion tourists travelled the world. However, the real success of tourism lies not in the numbers of tourist arrivals but in the earnings generated by tourism for the national exchequer. By this measure too, last year was a success.

According to the World Tourism Barometer, total export earnings generated by international tourism in 2013 were 1.4 trillion dollars. Earnings by destinations from expenditure by visitors on accommodation, food and drink, entertainment, shopping and other services and goods, amounted to 1.15 trillion.

Growth exceeded the long term trend readings five percent in real terms taking into account exchange rates and inflation. The growth rate of five percent matched the tourist arrivals rate which was also up five percent in 2013.

Apart from these receipts in the destinations, recorded as the travel credit item in the Balance of Payments, tourism also generated export earnings through international passenger transport services rendered to non-residents. This amounted to 218 billion dollars, bringing total receipts generated by international tourism to 1.4 trillion dollars or 3.8 billion a day, on average, in 2013.

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Where do we stand now? In the first four months, January to April 2014, destinations worldwide received 317 million international tourists – 14 million more than the same period last year, five percent above UNWTO long term projections. Various indicators point to a strong Northern Hemisphere summer peak season.

Over 480 million tourists were expected to travel abroad during the four months from May to August, which account on average for 41 percent of all international tourist arrivals registered in one year. According to the UNWTO Confidence Index, prospects remained positive for this period. Confidence has picked up among the private sector and improved further in Europe, the Americas and Asia.

Data on international air travel reservations from business intelligence tool ForwardKeys support this outlook with bookings for May-August up by eight percent compared to the same period last year, with intraregional and interregional travel equally strong.

The highest growth in bookings was recorded in international flight reservations from Asian source markets, followed by the Americas. The latest regional hotel data for May 2014 show a diversity in performance, but overall, a positive picture of rising demand.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the outbreak of the Ebola virus disease in West Africa a public health emergency of international concern. However, the WHO does not recommend any ban on international travel or trade.

The risk of a traveler becoming infected with the Ebola virus during a visit to the affected countries and developing the disease after returning is very low, even if the visit includes travel to areas in which cases have been reported.

Where do we go from here? In assessing the prospects for the rest of the year 2014, one has to bear in mind that most travelers who find their intended destinations in turmoil, will change their vacation or business plans and shift to alternative destinations rather than cancel their plans.

This means that the destination at issue will see a drop in arrivals, but that other destinations take up the slack, keeping the overall global arrival numbers unchanged. For instance, Egypt (-30 percent) and Thailand (-five percent) have seen their tourist arrival numbers dip sharply because of political upheavals, while other countries with similar tourism offerings have increased theirs. Sri Lanka (+27.6 percent), Japan (+27.5 percent) and Vietnam (+27.3 percent) all recorded substantial gains, up to April 2014.

In the first four months, January to April 2014, destinations worldwide received 317 million international tourists – 14 million more than the same period last year, five percent above UNWTO long term projections. For the full year 2014 international tourist arrivals are expected to increase by 4 to 4.5 percent, slightly above UNWTO’s forecast of 3.8 percent per year for the period 2010 to 2020.

According to WTTC research in conjunction with Oxford Economics, travel and tourism’s contribution to the world GDP grew for the fourth consecutive year in 2013, rising to a total of 9.5 percent of world GDP (seven trillion dollars).

Around 4.7 million jobs were created worldwide as a result of travel and tourism activity last year, meaning that the sector now supports 266 million people in employment — that is one in 11 jobs on the planet. International tourism now accounts for 29 percent of the world’s exports of services and six percent of all exports of goods and services.

As a worldwide export category, tourism ranks fifth after fuels, chemicals, food and automotive products, while ranking first in many developing countries.

The results confirm “the increasing role of the tourism sector in stimulating economic growth and contributing to international trade,” says UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai, adding that it is time to position tourism higher in the trade agenda, so as to maximise its capacity to promote trade and regional integration.

Lakshman Ratnapala is Emeritus President & CEO of Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA). The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, IPS-Inter Press Service.

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Lakshman Ratnapala: Testing time for tourism

“Marijuana tourism” a key topic at upcoming Caribbean conference

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Tuesday September 9, 2014, CMC – The deputy chief executive officer of Jamaica’s first medical marijuana company, Richard Kildare, will lead of debate on the notion or reality of marijuana tourism during the Caribbean Tourism Organization’s (CTO) State of the Industry Conference (SOTIC) later this month.

The September 17-19 conference will be held in the United States Virgin Islands and apart from Kildare, presentations will also come from Dr. James Hospedales, the executive director of the Trinidad-based Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), and Josef Woodman, the chief executive officer and founder of Patients Beyond Borders.

Rory Johnston, a PhD student at the faculty of health sciences at Simon Fraser University in Canada, will present on the ethical and legal implications, as well as the risks associated with medical tourism.

“This presentation will provide an overview of the key challenges that medical tourism poses to the operation of equitable health systems – those that are accessible to local populations and responsive to their needs.

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“Examples will be drawn from both established medical tourism destinations and projects being pursued in the Caribbean to explore how negative health equity impacts can emerge and ways in which they might be anticipated and minimized,” Johnston said.

The CTO said that the debate surrounding marijuana tourism has taken a sharper focus in recent months following its legalization for recreational use by two US states, including Colorado.

Uruguay has also become the first country in the world to make it legal to grow, sell and consume cannabis.

Since it became legal to smoke marijuana in Colorado at the start of the year, there have been several reports of a boom in arrivals from both within and outside the United States.

The Colorado office of state planning and budgeting reported US$19 million in tax revenue from recreational marijuana during the first half of the year, although it didn’t say how much of that was from tourism versus local buyers.

“The Caribbean has an interest in this subject, the Caribbean has an interest in attracting visitors to our shores, and so medical tourism, including the discussion about marijuana, is going to be one of the parts of the debate that we have,” said CTO secretary general, Hugh Riley.

“One of the interesting aspects of that particular debate is looking at the medical evidence because it’s important that we do not look at one particular aspect. At the end of the day we have to make decisions that are in the best interest of the people of the Caribbean,” Riley added, noting that now is an opportune time to have a debate on the issue.

“We can pretend it doesn’t exist and the rest of the world isn’t talking about it or we can deal with it head on, debate it, look at the facts and then move on to the next action,” he said.

The CTO said that apart from the debate on “marijuana tourism” the three day event will also examine a number of “provocative” issues confronting the regional tourism sector.

The CTO said that SOTIC, organized in collaboration with the USVI department of tourism, will bring together speakers of international and regional acclaim from various fields linked to tourism to provide best case practices and winning strategies on a wide range of issues that impact the region’s primary money earner.

It is being held under the theme “Realizing the Vision: Positioning Caribbean Tourism for Major Change”.

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“Marijuana tourism” a key topic at upcoming Caribbean conference

International Dancehall Queen Contest to help boost tourism

Adrian Frater, News Editor

From left, Kingsley Cooper, chairman of the Entertainment Advisory Board in the Ministry of Tourism and Entertainment, Brian ‘Big Head’ Martin, the promoter of the International Dancehall Queen Contest, and Robert Russell, chairman of Summerfest Productions, the promoters of Reggae Sumfest, in discussion during Tuesday night’s launch of Dancehall Queen 2014. – Adrian Frater

Western Bureau:

Kingsley Cooper, chairman of the Entertainment Advisory Board in the Ministry of Tourism and Entertainment, says the International Dancehall Queen Contest, staged in Montego Bay annually, is tailor-made for the government’s new Jamrock Summer – 90 Days, 90 Ways initiative, which is designed to boost both tourism and entertainment.

Cooper, the guest speaker at Tuesday night’s launch of the 18th renewal of the Big Head Promotions event, to be held at Pier One on August 2, says grassroots events like ‘Dancehall Queen’ are integral to the preservation of Jamaica’s culture.

“90 days of summer is designed to showcase a range of entertainment activities over the 90 days of summer,” said Cooper. “It has the capacity to boost tourism and other business-related spin-offs associated with entertainment, so ‘Dancehall Queen’ would fit perfectly into the concept.”

Commending the organiser for keeping the contest alive over so many years, Cooper spoke to the global appeal of Jamaica’s music as girls travel from all over the world annually to vie for the title.

Promoter Brian Martin, who started the contest to help expose talented inner-city dancers and has since taken it to over 40 countries, said he is not convinced that dancehall and its various spin-off activities are getting enough respect locally.

This year’s event, which will be streamed all over the world via the Internet, will see the winner walking away with a whopping J$1 million in cash and prizes. The second- and third-place finishers, as well as the winners of sectional awards, will also be handsomely rewarded.

“So far, we have had confirmation from more than 40 countries, to include newcomers Slovakia and South Africa and, as usual, we will be expecting the usual strong representation from Japan, Poland, the United States, and across the Caribbean,” said Martin.

In last year’s contest, Keja ‘Tall Up’ Christie, a student of the G.C Foster School of Physical Education, copped the coveted title. Brandi Watts, of the United States, was second; while Lillian Wamini, of Canada/Uganda, was third.

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International Dancehall Queen Contest to help boost tourism

Tourism Minister launches "Jamrock Summer - 90 Days, 90 Ways"

Damion Crawford. – File

The variety and vibrancy of Jamaica’s cultural expressions are being packaged to promote the destination to worldwide tourism markets as the land of not merely sun, sea, and sand but excellent entertainment.

The innovative summer entertainment programme branded as ‘Jamrock Summer – 90 Days, 90 Ways’ was launched at the picturesque Sandals Royal Caribbean Island in Montego Bay on Wednesday by the Ministry of Tourism and Entertainment, and endorsed by the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA).

Minister of State in the ministry, Damion Crawford, said the tagline for ‘Jamrock Summer – 90 Days, 90 Ways’ reflected the fact that “Jamaica offers a multiplicity of ways to enjoy the country”. The concept, therefore, is to use entertainment to attract visitors to the island between May 15 and August 15 each year to address the traditional dip in arrivals between the winter and fall seasons.

Crawford said Jamrock Summer will capitalise on all genres of Jamaican cultural expression – ’90 Days, 90 Ways’ includes parties, music, sports, culinary, literary arts and other events to entice everyone to experience the country in a special way.

He explained that although the initiative will include various types of music festivals, culinary, sports, fashion and other cultural offerings, reggae would be a central cog around which Jamrock Summer is built.

President of the JHTA, Nicola Madden-Greig, said, “All the JHTA’s resort areas are very excited (and) we will be working with promoters in different areas to make sure that we help to market the initiative.”

She also anticipates that association members will put together “really good rates so that persons can take advantage of all the activities that will be offered.”

To maximize exposure and reach ‘Jamrock Summer – 90 Days, 90 Ways’ will be supported by a social and traditional media network promotion, including an interactive website.

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Tourism Minister launches "Jamrock Summer - 90 Days, 90 Ways"

Tourism Minister launches "Jamrock Summer - 90 Days, 90 Ways"

Damion Crawford. – File

The variety and vibrancy of Jamaica’s cultural expressions are being packaged to promote the destination to worldwide tourism markets as the land of not merely sun, sea, and sand but excellent entertainment.

The innovative summer entertainment programme branded as ‘Jamrock Summer – 90 Days, 90 Ways’ was launched at the picturesque Sandals Royal Caribbean Island in Montego Bay on Wednesday by the Ministry of Tourism and Entertainment, and endorsed by the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA).

Minister of State in the ministry, Damion Crawford, said the tagline for ‘Jamrock Summer – 90 Days, 90 Ways’ reflected the fact that “Jamaica offers a multiplicity of ways to enjoy the country”. The concept, therefore, is to use entertainment to attract visitors to the island between May 15 and August 15 each year to address the traditional dip in arrivals between the winter and fall seasons.

Crawford said Jamrock Summer will capitalise on all genres of Jamaican cultural expression – ’90 Days, 90 Ways’ includes parties, music, sports, culinary, literary arts and other events to entice everyone to experience the country in a special way.

He explained that although the initiative will include various types of music festivals, culinary, sports, fashion and other cultural offerings, reggae would be a central cog around which Jamrock Summer is built.

President of the JHTA, Nicola Madden-Greig, said, “All the JHTA’s resort areas are very excited (and) we will be working with promoters in different areas to make sure that we help to market the initiative.”

She also anticipates that association members will put together “really good rates so that persons can take advantage of all the activities that will be offered.”

To maximize exposure and reach ‘Jamrock Summer – 90 Days, 90 Ways’ will be supported by a social and traditional media network promotion, including an interactive website.

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Tourism Minister launches "Jamrock Summer - 90 Days, 90 Ways"

Jamaica"s tourism tries to cash in on post-Olympics brand

BY JULIAN RICHARDSON Asistant Business Co-ordinator richardsonj@jamaicaobserver.com

BEIJING, China — A Chinese guide for Portia Simpson Miller pointed his finger with pride to where Usain Bolt scorched the track at the 2008 Olympics inside the world-famous ‘Bird’s Nest’ National Stadium in Beijing.“Bolt’s Nest,” he highlighted, jokingly to the Jamaican prime minister — who is wrapping up the Beijing leg of her official visit to China — a nickname given to the US$423-million landmark after the sprinter’s exploits here, along with his fellow countrymen.On Friday morning during an interview with Simpson Miller on the State-run CCTV, broadcast to hundreds of millions of people, the interviewer made several references to Bolt and Jamaican athletics with comfort.Five years after the fact, the performance at Beijing 2008 is among the most popular topics brought up for discussion by the Chinese as Simpson Miller and her delegation go from point to point on a five-day visit aimed at deepening the already-strong ties between Jamaica and communist China.“The impact of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing is that the recognition of Jamaica, the flag and the symbols are very high in China. The point of identification with China is the Beijing Olympics,” said Ralph Thomas, Jamaica’s ambassador to the Asian giant.“The Jamaican image is out there for a small country in a big market,” he added.However, questions remain as to whether or not Jamaica has adequately capitalised on the brand recognition, especially in the area of tourism, which was a major target market after Beijing.The number of Chinese travellers internationally and the value of their expenditure have been growing rapidly in recent years. China is expected to become the world’s fourth largest source of travellers by 2020, generating 100 million outbound tourists each year, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organisation.But despite stopover arrivals in Jamaica having more than doubled among Chinese from 935 in 2008 to 2,102 last year, according to annual travel statistics published by the Jamaica Tourist Board, it is still less than one per cent of total stopovers on the island and the ambassador feels the country is missing out on the most populated market in the world.“We have made progress (generally) since Beijing, but the area we have not made sufficient progress in is the area of tourism, which really stands to benefit the most,” Thomas told the Jamaica Observer, as the delegation got ready to board a flight to Shanghai, where the Prime Minister will spend the last day of the official trip.“Everybody knows destination Jamaica in China,” Thomas said, but he reiterated that the two issues slowing the penetration of the Chinese travel market remained that of visa restrictions and lack of airlift.Shanghai mayor Yang Xiong backed Thomas’s assessment during a welcome lunch for Simpson Miller’s party the following morning. He made particular reference to the “total flight time of over 20 hours” as particularly prohibitive.“We must work together to ensure more visitors,” Yang said.“If you ask a Chinese about a destination in the Caribbean, it’s (also communist) Cuba followed by Jamaica,” he added to emphasise the country’s popularity.Thomas supports abolition of visas for the Chinese, for whom getting a Jamaican visa may be challenging, as depending on where persons are, they may have to fly for hours to the Jamaican embassy in Beijing to get one.“My view of it is that visa abolition is something that could cause many visitors to come to Jamaica,” said Thomas, emphasising that it must be done with control so visitors don’t overstay.“If that happens it could take away one of the obstacles that makes it inconvenient to travel to Jamaica,” he said, noting that Jamaica has visa abolition policies with many other exotic markets, including Eastern European countries such as Russia.With regard to the other obstacle of airlift, Thomas said that the Chinese need more direct flights to Jamaica, in shorter distances rather than having to fly for 20 hours all over the world and intermittently changing planes in other countries in order to get to the island.To this end, Jamaica is making “strategic linkages” with industry interests and looking at airlift opportunities, Thomas said.At the same time, the proliferation of Chinese investment in Jamaica, such as the logistics hub being explored by the Government in collaboration with China Harbour Engineering Company, will help to drive Chinese visitors to Jamaica, the ambassador reasoned.“If we were to get the big Chinese investment in the logistics hub,” coupled with the fact that “a lot of Chinese travel for business purposes, it’s natural that there would be greater interest in tourism to go along with it,” Thomas said.Thomas praised the mission led by Simpson Miller as one that is hitting the right notes towards attracting investments and subsequently bringing more Chinese to Jamaican shores. The feeling here among some members of the delegation is that it has been one of the most successful state visits yet.“The prime minister’s personality is one that wins hearts and so they are totally charmed by her but at the same time she is having serious negotiations and discussions to advance some of these things,” Thomas said in his assessment.Bolt and company would be perfect ambassadors to advance the cause, Thomas added, not ruling out engaging the services of the athletes to more aggressively market the country as a destination to the Chinese.“Certainly from where I sit in Beijing, I would be encouraging that we take advantage of their goodwill and something that’s of great resource to the country in terms of helping to market this idea of Jamaica being a destination for Chinese tourists,” Thomas said.Beijing National Stadium tour guide Darcy Hu shows Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller a section of the track at the Bird’s Nest in Beijing, China. (PHOTO: DAVE REID/JIS)THOMAS… the Jamaica image is out there

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Jamaica"s tourism tries to cash in on post-Olympics brand

Haiti sees big money reviving flagging tourism

MONTROUIS, Haiti – THE Club Indigo beach resort north of the Haiti capital was crowded with UN peacekeepers, aid workers, diplomats and missionaries on a recent Sunday. But the only real, live tourists seemed to be Anne Fournier and her husband.

The young couple from Montreal is a rarity in this afflicted country. Crime, health scares, hurricanes and the monster earthquake of January 2010 have badly damaged the tourism that was once a mainstay of the Haitian economy, attracting the likes of Mick Jagger and Jackie Onassis.Now the government is pinning its hopes on a surge of private investment in hotels and resorts, plus a Venezuelan-financed US$13.2 million airport and new infrastructure on the southern island of Ile-a-Vache, and a US$8-million development of the historic coastal town of Jacmel.The Tourism Ministry’s budget has more than doubled. Under the previous government it was US$2 million plus a US$1 million loan from Venezuela’s PetroCaribe oil fund. Now it’s US$4.7 million, and Petrocaribe is paying US$27 million to finance development on projects that include Ile-a-Vache and in Jacmel.It says it has signed off on 15-year tax breaks and exemptions from import duties for 11 hotel and resort projects costing a total of US$160 million, with nearly US$100 million more in the pipeline or completed. It’s also training a force of 53 “tourism police officers” who will learn Spanish and English and be trained in first aid and customer service.While many in Haiti welcome anything that can create jobs, some worry that the country isn’t ready for a tourist invasion. For one thing, the Tourism Ministry says it has only 3,200 hotel rooms. For another, medical services are woefully lacking, a point underscored in US and Canadian travel advisories.The government hopes to double the number of hotel rooms in two years. But the critics say Haiti first has to improve its infrastructure.Sen. Francois Anick Joseph said the country needs paved roads, drinking water and reliable electricity. “There are a lot of things that need to be done before we can attract tourists,” he said in a telephone interview.Tourism Minister Stephanie Villedrouin says Haiti has to stand on its own feet. “If we want to be a sovereign country, if we don’t want to depend on other countries, we need to figure out ourselves how to move forward and how to get revenue, and tourism must be no.1 on the list.”Each hotel room built creates two jobs and four indirect jobs, she said.Officials say the tourism push will create more than 1,600 direct jobs and 6,500 indirect jobs. Tourism generated US$200 million last year, Villedrouin said. The country’s entire budget is US$3 billion.Haiti was once a haunt of the rich and famous who came in search of late-night Voodoo ceremonies and rum-fueled revelry. But an AIDS scare in the early 1980s sent the tourists packing, and years of political instability continued to keep them away. Officials say the 2010 earthquake killed 316,000 people, and a cholera outbreak nine months later took more than 7,750 lives.Last year the US State Department designated Haiti a “major drug-trafficking country.” Meanwhile, the country faces tough competition from Caribbean neighbours offering cheaper holiday deals.Today, the only mass tourism — 600,000 a year, according to Villedrouin — comes from cruise ships stopping at Labadie on the north coast where passengers can frolic for a few hours in a fenced-in resort.Villedrouin couldn’t say how many other tourists came on longer stays last year.Air Transat, a Canadian charter carrier, flies weekly between Montreal and Port-au-Prince, and says it has brought in 120 tourists this year on holiday packages in Haiti costing US$1,399 to US$1,600.At the beach in the town of Montrouis, 60 kilometres (38 miles) north of the capital, Fournier sipped juice from a coconut while relaxing with her husband, Sadrack Duclair, under the straw-hut canopy. Earlier, they had hired a car and driver to show them around.“I knew coming here that it was going to be a big adventure,” said 28-year-old Duclair, who left Haiti as a child and last visited in 1999. “I think it began at the airport, the first day. After that I was like, Haiti!”Fournier, 26, said the tourist shortage has its advantages.“You can tell that the tourism isn’t very developed yet, and that’s the big charm of it,” she said. “Everything is an adventure here.” Tourists walk on the shore of the Raymond les bains beach in Jacmel, Haiti. The Haitian government is to trying to revive the country’s long stagnant tourism industry with investments totalling more than US$160 million.A water taxi waits for customers at the Wahoo Bay Beach hotel in Montrouis, Haiti.Tourists play pool basketball at Club Indigo beach resort in Montrouis. (PHOTOS: AP)

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Haiti sees big money reviving flagging tourism

Increasing Jamaica"s tourism competitiveness

EACH time I am away, I can’t help but do a comparison between the country I visit and Jamaica. In particular, I always look at the main industry of the country and contrast it against Jamaica, if it is an industry that Jamaica competes in also.

Over the past few days, a delegation from Jamaica participated in a Caribbean Growth Forum, which was put on by the IDB in conjunction with partners such as the World Bank. The forum’s focus was to look at what can be done to enhance the economic growth potential of the Caribbean region. The forum was opened by the Prime Minister of Bahamas, and included significant participation from government ministers from Trinidad, Bahamas, Barbados, and other islands, and included the governor of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank, president of the IDB, and other senior financial players within the region and even as far as Canada. Of note, Jamaica did not have any government participation, with the exception of Colin Bullock from the Planning Institute of Jamaica.The discussions which happened offline, resulted in financing opportunities for small and medium-sized companies, in particular, that everyone was keen to be a part of.I will discuss this, and some other elements of the forum, in later articles, as I want now to make a comparison between tourism in Nassau against Jamaica. Nassau, with a population of only 180,000, and which has to import water, and is much more expensive than Jamaica, has much larger hotels and is humming with tourist activity. The type of activity seen is a distant memory of what I remember used to happen in Jamaica.The irony of this is that as far as I am concerned the overall hotel experience in Jamaica is ahead of that where I stayed in Nassau. Especially if it is compared with Sandals (which I think is the best hotel experience in Jamaica) but even when compared to the other hotels such as RIU and Sunset Resorts.The advantages Jamaica have include service levels (our people are more natural when it comes to delivering service) and the operations management at the Jamaican hotels (especially Sandals) is way ahead of the Bahamas experience. The people in Bahamas are very nice, but the service side is not as natural as it is in Jamaica. This is compounded by the poor operations management of the hotel. I don’t think the physical infrastructure experience of the Bahamas hotel is superior than the Jamaica experience, but the food in Jamaica is much better.The number of attractions in Jamaica is also much more, and as far as I am concerned much more attractive. One unique thing about Jamaica also is that we have a very unique culture, and our music and sports, are far more appealing than most other tourist destinations in the world, including Bahamas.Why then does Nassau seem to have so much tourist activity going on, and certainly more than what you would see at a Jamaican hotel. It certainly is not that our local players are not competitive and creative, because as far as I am concerned, our local tourist players have done wonders, given the lack of environmental support for the tourism product.The main problem is that tourism service delivery is primarily within the hotel, and is not supported well by the country. It is not that people do not realise the value of tourism to Jamaica, but outside of the players in the industry, the country still has not realised what true tourism delivery is.So we continuously seek to reduce our competitive edge in tourism, in various ways. And these are the advantages that somewhere like Bahamas has over us, and why the average spend from their tourist is higher than ours.These include better infrastructure, such as roads, and the fact that everywhere in the Bahamas is clean. In Jamaica when you drive outside of the property you are confronted with a filthy environment, tourist harassment, touts on the beaches, high taxes (in Bahamas there is no income or consumption taxes), and general indiscipline on the roads. In addition to these challenges, we also have allowed our beaches to be degraded because of our poor environmental management, unlike the Bahamas where the beaches are pristine.This is why an all-inclusive room sells for US$250 double occupancy in Jamaica, while a similar room in Bahamas or Miami sells for US$300 or more just for the bed. If you need internet access, meals, or entertainment you pay additional. In other words we are quickly eroding our comparative advantage in tourism because of poor management.What we must understand is that a country’s comparative advantage is not static and changes based on what other countries are doing, so we need to constantly innovate and properly manage our existing comparative advantage. And it is important that, while we still have a comparative advantage in tourism, we take care of it.It is necessary for us to ensure that not only the hip strip in Montego Bay looks good, but it must extend to downtown Montego Bay. We must enforce litter laws and ensure that proprietors maintain a certain standard in terms of how their properties look. We must ensure that there is discipline on the roads and must not have so many peddlars in the streets. Tourists, and residents, must also feel safe to walk on the road at any time during the night.It is these things that matter for tourism, and irrespective of how much more you can offer, if you cannot offer a peaceful and restful vacation then you will not be competitive. Having to lock away tourists is not a vacation. It is an adventure, and that is not what people want to do on their vacations. This is why in Bahamas another vibrant activity you see are the number of buses carrying people on tours. And we have much more to show but do not have that sort of activity.So if we are really serious about tourism, then we must act on the things that matter and ensure that our time is not preoccupied with matters not related to development.Dennis Chung is a chartered accountant and the author of the books “Charting Jamaica’s Economic and Social Development” AND “Achieving Life’s Equilibrium”. His blog is dcjottings.blogspot.comE-mail: dra_chung@hotmail.comTourists sunbathe along a beach in Nassau, Bahamas. (PHOTO: AP)

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Increasing Jamaica"s tourism competitiveness