The Attractions Centerpiece Of Jamaica, Ocho Rios, To Welcome 22nd Annual Jamaica Product Exchange (JAPEX), September 23 – 25, 2012

Ocho Rios, a region known for its first-rate attractions, will host the 22nd annual Jamaica Product Exchange (JAPEX), from September 23 – 25, 2012. The island’s premier travel trade show, JAPEX will take place at the Sunset Jamaica Grande Resort & Spa.
 
A one-of-a-kind exhibition, JAPEX serves as a forum for leading Jamaican suppliers of the island’s tourism product to meet with travel wholesalers and tour operators from Europe and the Americas. Last year’s JAPEX attendance featured 136+ representatives from approximately 98 buyer companies along with 248+ participants from 91 supplier companies.
 
Hosted by the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) and the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA), the trade show also includes networking sessions, evening affairs, destination familiarization tours, and team-building activities.
 
“JAPEX is the ideal opportunity for qualified international buyers, travel wholesalers and tour operators to discuss the island’s tourism product with our finest suppliers,” said John Lynch, Jamaica’s Director of Tourism. “It’s an invaluable opportunity for our local tourism partners, particularly the smaller companies, to have direct interaction with the trade industry and update them on what’s new and upcoming in our marketplace.”
 
An important marketing tool for the island, JAPEX is appointment-based and pre-scheduled in the following ways:

· The Perfect-Match Appointment: A buyer requests a supplier and the same supplier requests that buyer.

· The Buyer-Requested Appointment: This is based solely upon the buyer’s request for a meeting with a supplier.
 
Jamaica’s tourist industry has undergone a continuous process of growth and improvement with new and renovated hotels, added attractions, and enhancements by allied product and service providers such as transportation companies. The destination has also invested in major infrastructural improvements including new highways, a newly opened Montego Bay Convention Centre, expansion at its international airports, and substantial development of cruise ship ports such as Historic Falmouth.