JAMAICA: MONTEGO BAY, JAMAICA, May 1 – Officials from the Jamaica Tourist and Hotel Association (JHTA) and Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) counted on “the Expo effect” to bring a windfall of hundreds of millions that trickled through all areas of the Jamaican economy at the Jamaica Product Exchange (JAPEX) held over the weekend at the Montego Bay Convention Centre.
Event organisers called on the industry to help build on the momentum gained from the event. The JHTA said they’re looking to forge partnerships with other elements of the private sector to meet the ambitious targets for investment and job creation in the next few years.
More than 160 travel agents, hoteliers, allied members and small and medium sized enterprises in the industry attended the event.
Camille Needham, Executive Director of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association highlighted the importance of JAPEX in generating ideas and said that new business projects will be implemented in the sector the in coming months after JAPEX to ensure sustained activity in the industry. Needham said that the challenges that trouble the region, including water scarcity, a need for education and more jobs, could be met through a combined effort.
“To confront these issues there must be partnerships at every level to foster innovation, ensure the right kind of education, mentor our poorest or weakest citizens and in so doing build sustainable businesses that can work with us, in collaboration, to create the future we envision,” she said. The event will help in strengthening the positioning of the tourism offerings to the summer and winter tourist seasons.
“Overall JAPEX has always left behind a strong transformative social and economic legacy across the island,” according to the President of the JHTA, Nicola Madden-Greig.
The event’s success hinges on attracting an estimated 500 people who operate within the Caribbean, Latin America (LATAM), North American and European tourism markets organisers said.
The country’s growing transport links, boosted by the building of highways and the newly opened Kingston to Ocho Rios leg, the development of airports will help boost trade and attract more businesses and investment from these regions.
