175 Local Entities Showcasing Products At ‘Christmas In July’

One hundred and seventy-five local artisans, manufacturers and suppliers are displaying a range of authentic products at the ‘Christmas in July’ tradeshow, which got under way this morning (July 12) at the AC Marriott Hotel in New Kingston.

The items are in the categories of spa and aroma therapy, décor, clothing, fine art, jewellery, souvenirs, foods and products created from organic and natural fibres.

The annual event targets stakeholders in the tourism sector and members of corporate Jamaica, encouraging them to purchase authentic local products as gifts for clients and staff.

Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, in his remarks at the opening ceremony said Christmas in July, which is in its ninth staging, is a fulfilment of the Government’s policy to build the capacity of small and medium-sized enterprises to benefit from the “very rich, lucrative and elongated” tourism value chain.

“We are excited about doing it because 80 per cent of tourism is about small and medium enterprises, but the reality is that only 20 per cent of the returns from tourism go to this 80 per cent and there is an asymmetry here that we have to rebalance,” he said.

He explained that the rebalancing requires building the capacity of these enterprises to scale up, add value, innovate and to be able to supply the huge demand that tourism brings to Jamaica.

Minister Bartlett pointed out that tourism is the “most consumption-driven activity on planet Earth”, noting that the propensity to consume is five times higher for tourists than locals.

He said that the Government is keen on identifying small and medium enterprises, providing training and development as well as funding through the Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC) loan arrangement and the EXIM Bank to enable entities to meet the demand.

“In providing marketing opportunities, we do things like ‘Christmas in July’ because this is a showcase where you can come with your goods and the services that you provide and make contracts,” Mr. Bartlett said.

Director of Business Development at the Jamaica Association for the Deaf (JAD), Deniese Badroe, told JIS News that the Association decided to participate in the trade show to “create visibility” for its social enterprise, JAD Binders.

“We do customised items and these are all made by members of the deaf community. We do journals and some of our journals have quotes from Marcus Garvey, so [they’re] called Garvey Gems. We also have another one called Jamaican Proverbs Journal and we also do customised boxes and wedding invitations,” she shared.

Christmas in July is a collaborative effort of the Tourism Linkages Network, a division of the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), and its partners, the JBDC, the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA), Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO) and the Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters Association (JMEA).

The trade show continues on Thursday (July 13) from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.