Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Foreign Trade

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For the second consecutive year, the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), has been voted the Favourite Tourist Board in Canada, by Canadian travel agents in the annual Agents' Choice Awards.

The announcement was made during the recent staging of the "Come and Discover Jamaica" seminar, organised by the JTB's Toronto office in Canada. The award was presented to the JTB's Regional Manager for Canada, Sandra Scott, by Editor-in-Chief of Canadian Travel Press (CTP), and Baxter Travel Media (BTM), Edith Baxter.

According to CTP/BTM executive, Ted Davis, who made the announcement, some 3,500 Canadian travel agents across the country voted in the 2008 Agents' Choice Awards, in 22 categories ranging from airlines to tourist boards.

"The Jamaica Tourist Board ranked number one nationally, as well as in Ontario, Western Canada, and the Maritimes. In Quebec, it was picked second behind France," he pointed out.

Mr. Davis also informed that in the destination categories, Jamaica was edged into second place by Hawaii in the Favourite Honeymoon Destination segment, was ranked fifth as a Winter Destination behind countries such as Mexico, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic, and was number 11 in the Summer Destination category.

The seminar was organised by the JTB to update their Canadian travel partners in Toronto on current developments in the Jamaican tourist industry.

Ms. Scott thanked the travel agents for selecting the JTB as their favourite tourist board, and also for assisting in promoting Jamaica as an ideal vacation destination. Their efforts, she noted, enabled Jamaica to attract some 190,000 visitors from Canada last year, a 24.6 percent increase over 2006.

"From January to July 2008, we have recorded 152,000 Canadian visitors, a 20 percent growth over the same time period last year. We would not have made this without you. Thank you for encouraging your clients to make it Jamaica," Ms. Scott said

The Regional Director also paid tribute to her hard-working staff, whom she described as the "Dream Team", for their dedication and commitment to the JTB.

The JTB's District Sales Manager for Canada, Dan Hamilton, who gave an overview of developments in the industry in Jamaica, noted that over 78 per cent of visitors to the island indicate that they book their trips through a travel agent, pointing out that the agents still represent a primary source of visitors to Jamaica.

Jamaican businesses which participated in the "Come & Discover Jamaica" seminar, included: Coyaba Beach Resort, Country Country, FDR and Pebbles Resorts, Grand Palladium, Relax Resort, Rooms, Rose Hall Resort and Country Club, Sandals, Shaw Park, Sunset Beach, SuperClubs, and Starfish.

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