The back-to-back visits of cruise ships to Ocho Rios, St. Ann,  last week are being greeted by industry stakeholders as a “momentum builder” and a step in the right direction. The vessels brought nearly 6,000 visitors to the island over two days (September 21 and 22), bringing increased business for craft traders, taxi and bus operators, in-bond merchants, shop owners,...

Workers in the Tourism industry are calling on Jamaicans to mobilise themselves and participate  in  the Government’s national coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination programme. Hundreds of tourism workers, their families and friends turned out at the Tourism Vaccination Task Force’s COVID-19 Vaccination Blitz, held at Moon Palace in Ocho Rios, St. Ann, on September 3. The Ministry of Tourism, in partnership with the Jamaica Hotel...

With the United States Centers for Disease Control (CDC) giving the greenlight earlier this month for cruise ships with fully vaccinated passengers to start sailing again from American ports, local stakeholders are bracing for what could be an earlier than expected return of cruise visitors to the island. Guidelines issued by the CDC allows ships to skip the simulated voyages,...

Ms. Vana Taylor has been working in the Tourism Industry for more than 30 years and has earned the respect of her peers as being the “go to” person, especially during times of crisis. As President of the St. Ann Chamber of Commerce, Ms. Taylor is also a powerful voice in the business community. Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett,...

When Eustas “Piggy” Lindsay lost his popular jerk centre to fire in 2019 little did he know that James Bond would come to the rescue. Mr. Lindsay’s Piggy’s Jerk Centre, located along the picturesque Foreshore Road along the Port Antonio coastline, was a popular eating spot for British actor Daniel Craig, who plays Bond, and other cast and crew members...

The Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) will, over the next three years, upgrade 10 beaches across the island as part of its Beach Development Programme, which is aimed at enhancing the facilities at public beaches for greater enjoyment. They are Watson Taylor Park in Hanover; Success, St. James; Priory, St. Ann; Rio Nuevo, St. Mary; Murdock Beach, St. Mary; Winnifred Beach,...

With the raging coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic impacting and taking a huge toll on almost every sector across Jamaica, the tourism resilient corridors have been an exception to the rule, stakeholders say. So much so that some hoteliers are openly declaring that one of the safest places to be is “the inside of a resort where there are some strict and...

The Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) is spearheading an action in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, through its COVID-19 Ambassador Programme. The initiative is taking the everyday worker in the tourism sector and transforming them into national ambassadors, tasked with public education and promotion of COVID-19 safety protocols at the community level. This is done by training these...

When newly minted Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) COVID-19 Ambassador, Krystal Francis, heard that she was selected to play a national role in the fight against the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), she was excited. Excited, because she sees the programme as a platform that will help the tourism sector to recover, which could also help her colleagues who...