Tourism Ministry Kicks Off Post Ivan Marketing Campaign this Month

The Ministry of Industry and Tourism will kick off a major marketing thrust within the next few weeks, to assure tour operators of the readiness of the industry to resume business.
Speaking with journalists in Negril on Wednesday (Sept.15) following a tour of properties in the resort town, Minister Aloun N’dombet Assamba, informed that already, properties in Kingston, Montego Bay, Ocho Rios and Port Antonio had re-opened their doors, while those in Negril would be opened on a phased basis dependent on the extent of damage.
Properties on the south coast will take a little longer to welcome visitors as they were hardest hit by the hurricane. The Tourism Minister said that while the marketing team was already active in the overseas market, highlighting the country’s readiness to resume business, the main part of its marketing efforts would be more readily seen towards the end of the month.
“One thing that we are planning towards the end of the month is press trips, to bring the travel journalists into Jamaica, to see exactly what is actually on the ground. That is probably the best kind of public relations that we could do,” she stated.
She noted further that, “these people know about travel, they know what happens in these situations, and would be able to say to the tour operators and the travelling public, Jamaica is open for business”.
She informed that Air Jamaica had already offered seats to travel agents and that they would be flown into the island as soon the industry players were ready to receive them.
Mrs. Assamba informed that the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) and the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) marketing groups, would be having a series of meetings beginning next week, with a view to developing additional strategies.
Meanwhile, she said, the cruise shipping sector was back on track, as cruise ships had already begun making calls to the island’s ports.