More and more travel agents are discovering first-hand why Jamaica increasingly has a reason to smile, as the island’s tourism industry continues to pull out all the stops to show that travel to the Caribbean island is returning again to a semblance of normal.

Indeed, the past few weeks have seen the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) host dozens of Canadian counsellors on-island, including a special “Irie Hour” FAM trip at the end of October for 50 agents singled out as “loyal attendees” of the weekly virtual JTB event that was launched in May 2020 as a way for Canadian agents to stay informed on the destination and remain connected with JTB staff during the pandemic.

Over the course of the invite-only trip, agents had the chance to reconnect with the JTB Canada team and immerse themselves in Destination Jamaica while visiting multiple hotel properties and attractions in the Montego Bay area. Highlights included a catamaran tour with Island Routes, a jerk lunch at iconic Scotchies, and a lively beach barbecue.

“This was an opportunity for us to thank these hardworking agents for their continued support of Jamaica and showcase some of the very best island experiences, hotels, and attractions for them to share with their clients back in Canada,” said JTB Regional Director, Canada, Angella Bennett.

Agents who were not able to join the FAM trip in person were able to tune in for a special live-on-location Irie Hour broadcast hosted at Royalton Blue Waters featuring musical entertainment, cooking and cocktail demonstrations.

Also on-island the first week of November were over 200 The Travel Agent Next Door agents for an annual conference, as well as a group of Canadian travel trade media, and the return of the JTB’s Bridal Expo in Montego Bay in early November.

“Right now, travel agents are bullish, and the airlines are even more so bullish,” said Jamaica Hotel & Tourist Association Clinton Reader at a press breakfast event, which was hosted live and also beamed back to Canada, adding, “You have to take your indicators from your partners.”

Reader, who is also GM of Moon Palace, noted that current hotel occupancy levels in Jamaica are 65% – an amazing stat compared to 70-80% levels during Jamaica’s best year in 2019.

It’s an indicator that prompts him to declare, “I think Jamaica is well on its way (to recovery).”

Jamaican tourism director Donovan White agrees, pointing out that Amadeus says its data reveals that Jamaica is the world’s most searched destination, in addition to boasting the most international air seats and GDS bookings. Overall, demand for Jamaica is 38% of 2019 figures, compared to world demand of 24%.

And things are only getting better, with the tourism director revealing that bookings from Jamaica’s top five tour operator/airline partners, which provide 70% of the overall room nights, are approaching 97% of 2019 levels in November and December. And another further 10% increase in air seats is forecast in 2022 over 2019.

At the same time, White says visitors are staying longer and spending more than they did before the pandemic as travellers take advantage of their long-awaited ability to travel again.

Canada

As for Canada, White reports that pent-up demand is surging since the government lifted its non-essential travel ban – demand that will be served by flights to the island by Air Canada, Sunwing, Swoop, Transat and WestJet, from gateways across the country.

At the same time, Jamaica has launched expedited PCR testing services for the convenience of Canadians, with hotel guests able to book in-hotel pre-departure COVID-19 molecular tests directly through Baywest Wellness Clinic and Technological Solutions Limited (TSL) for US$75, a reduction of more than 50% off the previous PCR testing price.

Cruising is another market sector with wind in its sails going forward, with the island’s five cruise ports expecting increased arrivals this winter from the likes of Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Marella Cruises.

“It is phenomenal the level of growth that we are beginning to see,” he says. “It’s a significant uptick.”

Just as important, however, says White, is Jamaica’s ability to recover the momentum it had before the pandemic, and to that end, he says, the tourism sector has retained 90% of investment commitments that were previously on the board, including hotel projects that will see some 5,000 rooms added to island inventory spread across a dozen venues in the next two years. Notable among them are 1,700 rooms from Hard Rock Hotels in Montego Bay; Princess Hotels making its Jamaica debut with 2,000 rooms; and continued expansion at several Sandals resorts.

“To sum it up,” White says, “Jamaica is on the move, and we are moving fast… We believe we have a really strong rebound in progress and the future definitely looks bright. There’s some really good things happening in the marketplace and some really good things happening in our destination.”

Canada Virtual Showcase

For agents not lucky enough to visit the island this fall, the JTB will reprise its Virtual Product Showcase, first hosted in July, on Wednesday. Nov. 24 from 1 to 3 p.m. EST.

Designed to “educate, entertain, and inspire,” the free industry event will give agents an opportunity to hear the latest destination updates from Jamaica and see presentations from top tour operators and travel suppliers, including Sunwing Vacations, Transat, WestJet Vacations, Swoop Airlines, Iberostar, H10 Hotels, RIU Hotels, and many more.

Participants will also have a chance to connect directly with representatives from airlines, hotel and resort partners, attractions, and ground transportation services, in addition to the JTB’s on-island and in-market product teams. The event will also feature trivia games with great prizes up for grabs.

“Hosting this immersive destination update in a virtual setting allows us to connect with agents across the country simultaneously in an interactive way with a full afternoon of destination education, industry networking, and fun-filled games with great prizes,” says Bennett.

To register: https://www.visitjamaica.com/canada/showcase