Chairman of the COVID-19 Resilient Corridors, John Byles, says that as the world struggles to combat the effects of COVID-19, Jamaica has, over the last six months, emerged as a leader in the fight against the pandemic. Speaking at a Jamaica Information Service (JIS) Think Tank at the agency’s Montego Bay Regional Office on August 31, Mr. Byles said that...

Chairman of the COVID-19 Resilient Corridors, John Byles, has indicated that established safety protocols are being continually "reviewed” by tourism entities, in order to further improve and enforce them. Addressing a Jamaica Information Service (JIS) Think Tank at the agency’s Regional Office in Montego Bay, St. James, on August 31, he said it is imperative that the lives of local...

Tourism stakeholders and ‘Resilient Corridor’ interests are encouraging more Jamaicans to embrace the ‘Rediscover Jamaica’ campaign, in order to drive a sustainable domestic tourism market. The initiative, which is being promoted by the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), was launched in July and encourages Jamaicans to take advantage of the country’s many tourism products and attractions through staycation packages. Speaking at...

Jamaicans have been visiting local resorts to take advantage of reduced staycation packages, as international travel has been reduced drastically. The move is also being pushed by the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), through its Rediscover Jamaica programme, in an effort to provide a temporary cushion for the struggling hotel sector, which has seen a fallout in business over the past...

Owners of attractions are now repackaging their products to cater to the local market, as a result of the loss being experienced with the cruise-shipping business due to the fallout from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. “Most if not all of Jamaica’s major attractions derived anywhere from 40 per cent to 60 per cent of their overall businesses from cruise shipping,”...

Despite the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) having taken a toll on tourism dependent businesses, craft traders in the island’s resort towns remain optimistic that better days are ahead. The traders, who operate in craft shops in Negril, Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, Falmouth, Port Antonio and Kingston, say they are hoping that the latter part of 2020, going into 2021 will be...

Tourism stakeholders are calling for an all-hands-on-deck approach in the fight against the coronavirus (COVID-19). The group, which includesrepresentatives from the craft, transportation, duty free, hotel, destination management, and attraction sectors, said the recent surge in COVID-19 cases is definitely a cause for concern, and anything less than a united front could prove problematic. “The Government’s overall handling of the...