2008 Will Be a Powerful Year for Visitor Arrivals – Bartlett

Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett, has said that 2008 is going to be a “very powerful year” in terms of visitor arrivals, noting that the reports of advanced bookings from tour operators are “extremely positive”.
In addition, he said that the “reports coming out of New York and the whole North-eastern seaboard (of the United States), are all good”.
Minister Bartlett, who was addressing a meeting held recently in Ocho Rios, said that the country is going for major growth, and he will “leave no stone unturned in seeking to find the attractions, the investment, more room accommodations and cruise developments, because we’re determined to bring more heads to beds, to convert lookers into bookers and to bring more feet to the streets of Jamaica.”
“I’m going into Europe next week. We’re going to Russia, the emerging markets of China, India, Japan, Chile, Mexico, Brazil and we’re taking the Caribbean and Latin America because Jamaica can have 5 million stopover visitors by 2012 and we’re going for it,” he stated.
With this projected expansion in visitor arrivals, Mr. Bartlett said it is important to have an efficient and buoyant local craft industry and an announcement will be made soon, on a major programme to develop the sector.
“We’re going to give a new lease on life to the craft industry in this country concerning physical development, education and training, marketing and merchandising,” Mr. Bartlett stated.
“We want to introduce a whole new concept of the management of that critical sub-sector in the tourism industry,” he added.
The Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo), Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) and the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), are critical partners in the thrust towards the development of the craft sub-sector, the Minister said.
He noted that while the JTB invites the world to come to Jamaica, the TPDCo and the TEF are charged with ensuring that the tourism product is at its best.