Staff Writer
Jamaica was in celebration mode during the Caribbean Tourism Organization’s (CTO) annual Caribbean Week in New York City, announcing that the destination has hit yet another record number of stopover arrivals from January to May 2018, surpassing the one million mark at roughly 1,025,997.
Continuing the celebration, the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) participated in a number of special events targeting the media, Diaspora community and local New Yorkers to continue the celebration all week long.
Jamaican Celebrity Chef Wenford Patrick Simpson kicked off the week with a culinary demonstration at Bloomingdale’s flagship store in midtown Manhattan. Chef Wenford prepared Jamaica’s National Dish, Ackee and Saltfish, served on delicious fried bammy. Wenford’s fans came to watch their beloved chef work his magic, while shoppers at the department store were lured by the delicious smells of traditional Jamaican cuisine.
At the CTO’s Caribbean Media Awards Dinner, held on June 7th at the Wyndham New Yorker Hotel, the JTB honored travel writer Dave Rodney and Gail Moaney, APR, founding managing partner of Finn Partners, with awards of excellence for their stellar efforts in marketing the Caribbean as a premier travel destination. Moaney was presented with the Marcella Martinez award for her contribution as an outstanding public relations practitioner, while Rodney received the Marcia Vickery-Wallace award for excellence in travel journalism.
Earlier in the week, Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism, the Hon. Edmund Bartlett was a guest speaker at the annual City Nation Place Americas Conference. During the panel discussion, “Place Branding in a Crisis: Lessons on Rebuilding After Hurricane Irma,” Minister Bartlett shared his views on how destinations can build their resiliency to mitigate global threats such as climate change, cyber terrorism, epidemics and pandemics. Bartlett emphasized that the key to staying competitive in the new global tourism market is to enhance linkages between tourism and the local economy thereby ensuring destinations retain more of the direct and indirect financial benefits.
The Jamaican Delegation also participated in Caribbean Media Marketplace, an interactive experience for CTO member governments to engage with journalists from trade and consumer press. Minister Bartlett along with Jamaica’s Director of Tourism Donovan White participated in a number of interviews where they discussed Jamaica’s arrival figures, flourishing tourist industry and the strategy for continuing on the upward trajectory.
To culminate the week, the Jamaica Tourist Board was a sponsor of Rum & Rhythm Benefit & Auction, the ultimate Caribbean epicurean experience that brings together consumers and the Caribbean destination representatives that participated in the week’s events.
Below: Jamaica’s Director of Tourism, Donovan White, being interviewed by JCD, producers of ‘Caribbean Passport’ a Lifestyle & Travel program airing on 26 television stations across the Caribbean.
For more information about travel to Jamaica, please visit www.visitjamaica.com
About Jamaica Tourist Board
The Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), founded in 1955, is Jamaica’s national tourism agency based in the capital city of Kingston. JTB offices are also located in Montego Bay, Miami, Toronto and London. Representative offices are located in Berlin, Barcelona, Rome, Amsterdam and Mumbai.
TripAdvisor® ranked Jamaica as the #1 Caribbean Destination and #14 Best Destination in the World in 2018. Also this year, the International Council of the Pacific Area Travel Writers Association (PATWA) named Jamaica the Best Destination for Adventure Tourism and TravAlliance Media named the JTB the Best Tourism Board Overall. Additionally, the JTB has been declared the Caribbean’s Leading Tourist Board by the World Travel Awards (WTA) for eleven consecutive years between 2006 and 2017. In 2017, Jamaica also earned the WTA’s award for the Caribbean’s Leading Wedding Destination and the Caribbean’s Leading Cruise Destination. Jamaica is home to some of the world’s best accommodations, attractions and service providers that have won several awards throughout the years.
For details on upcoming special events, attractions and accommodations in Jamaica go to the JTB’s Website at www.visitjamaica.com or call the Jamaica Tourist Board at 1-800-JAMAICA (1-800-526-2422). Follow the JTB on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube. View the JTB blog at www.islandbuzzjamaica.com
Media Writer
