Shoppes at Rose Hall Comes Alive for Style Jamaica
By: December 12, 2018 ,The Key Point:
The Facts
- The two-day event, which got under way this morning (December 12), is showcasing the creations of 12 local designers to tourists, tourism interests and Jamaicans.
- Producers of authentic Jamaican products, such as paintings, craft and food, are also participating in the exposition, which features entertainment from local artistes.
The Full Story
The Shoppes at Rose Hall in Montego Bay has been transformed into a wonderland of fashion, food and entertainment for the Tourism Linkages Network’s ‘Style Jamaica’.
The two-day event, which got under way this morning (December 12), is showcasing the creations of 12 local designers to tourists, tourism interests and Jamaicans.
Producers of authentic Jamaican products, such as paintings, craft and food, are also participating in the exposition, which features entertainment from local artistes.
“It is about two days of entertainment and shopping with our local designers not just modelling their wares but having available for sale, clothing, high-end accessories and headpieces,” Director of the Tourism Linkages Network, Carolyn McDonald-Riley, told JIS News.
She said that ‘Style Jamaica’ is expected to attract tourists from hotels in the vicinity, cruise-ship passengers and locals who are interested in purchasing authentic Jamaican items.
“We want people to know that Jamaica is a shopping destination, so we will have persons coming off the cruise ships, our hoteliers will be bussing the tourists to the venue for them to see, feel, taste and experience all that Jamaica has to offer in terms of fashion, food and entertainment,” Mrs. McDonald-Riley said.
Shopping is one of the five areas of the Tourism Linkages Network initiative, officially launched in December 2016, to further diversify the country’s tourism offerings, create business opportunities and increase the use of local goods and services within the sector.
The others are Gastronomy, Sports and Entertainment, Health and Wellness, and the Knowledge Economy.
The objective is to better position the tourism sector to generate higher growth levels in both visitor arrivals and earnings.
In terms of shopping, the plan is to encourage investments for big shopping malls that can attract and maintain the attention of visitors.
“If you think of Jamaica, you probably would not think shopping first, but we do have it; we just need the outlets, so this is a start to the development of shopping in a very serious way in Jamaica,” Mrs. McDonald-Riley said.