JAPEX “Phenomenal” Success, says JHTA Head

The 20th staging of the Jamaica Product Exchange (JAPEX) Trade Show, put on by the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) and the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), at the Half Moon Conference Centre in Montego Bay, ended on a high note.
President of the JHTA, Mr. Wayne Cummings, described the event, which ran from Tuesday, May 11 to Thursday, May 13, as ‘a phenomenal success’.
“I think that we had a truly fantastic event this year, with some 92 buyer/delegates, approximately 215 supplier/delegates, showcasing the products of Jamaica,” Mr. Cummings said. He added that there were also about 37 media/delegates, both international and local, heralding the awesome possibilities of the country’s tourism product.
“Every booth that I have been to, everybody that I have spoken to, the level of activity was very high, both from the selling and the buying side. People felt that there was a need to sell destination Jamaica,” he told JIS News.
Mr. Cummings, who was re-elected for a fourth term as president of the JHTA on Wednesday, pointed out that from all angles, JAPEX has been good, mainly due to the support from the JTB in getting the media core involved.
“The level of support from the partners was just totally wonderful and it really shows that Jamaica, even though we are competitive in spirit, we know that we are still one destination, we are still one Jamaica”, he told JIS News.
Director General in the Ministry of Tourism, Carrole Guntley, also rated the event as “another success” for Jamaica’s tourism and congratulated the organisers.
“This gave us a chance to update our suppliers and media, both local and overseas, on Jamaica’s tourism product. It was a wonderful occasion, and they all had solid business done here, which will ensure more positive growth in tourism and Jamaica’s economy,” Ms. Guntley told JIS News.