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Ecuadorians on Familiarisation Trip

July 14, 2009

The Full Story

Two groups, totalling 180 travel agents and journalists from Ecuador, are visiting Jamaica on a familiarisation trip, July 13- 21.
The trip is part of the Ministry of Tourism’s new advertising and marketing thrust. The first group of 90 Ecuadorians arrived on Monday at the Donald Sangster International Airport, Montego Bay, St. James, where they were officially welcomed by representatives of the Ministry and the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB).
Communications Manager and Media Liaison in the Ministry, Horace Phillips, told JIS News that he is excited about the new thrust, as it is expected to have far reaching and positive effects on the Jamaican economy.
“The Ministry of Tourism is delighted about this. It shows that if we persist, it will bring results and this is exactly what the Ministry of Tourism’s initiative is in new markets,” Mr. Phillips said.
He added that the visitors were being accommodated at the RIU Hotel, Mammee Bay in Ocho Rios, St. Ann, and that he was pleased with the way in which they were being catered for.
“We are going to be having a lot of Spanish-speaking visitors in our country, and we are appealing to Jamaicans to give them the real Jamaican hospitality, as it is something that we are known for throughout the world,” he said.
He described the event as a great opportunity for Jamaicans to learn to speak Spanish, to help them communicate much better with visitors from Spanish speaking countries.
Marketing representative with the JTB, Wayne Sterling, said that the second group of Ecuadorians will arrive on Friday July 17, when the present group will be returning home.
“Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, has been doing some good work in trying to get business out of Latin America, and we see the visit of the Ecuadorians as very important and very integral to growing this business,” he told JIS News.
Ecuadorian Tourism and Environment Tour Guide, David Cadena, told JIS News that he was happy to be in Jamaica and to benefit from the experience.
“As travel agents, when we get back to Ecuador, we are going to try to sell this tourist destination (Jamaica) and then, probably, we will increase the tourist travel to here from Ecuador. That is the main thing that we are going to do when we go back to Ecuador,” he said.
He said that the strategy was a good one and would benefit Ecuadorians who want to travel to an unusual international destination.

Last Updated: August 26, 2013

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