Montego Bay to Host Sixth Tourism Outlook Seminar

Approximately 300 tourism stakeholders and interests from Jamaica, the Caribbean, United States, and Canada, are expected to participate in the sixth annual Tourism Outlook Seminar, scheduled for November 20 and 21 at the Montego Bay Convention Centre, St. James.

Themed: ‘Tourism: Enhancing Social and Economic Impact’, the seminar will provide a basis for positioning tourism to foster stronger relationships and create growth in all areas of the sector.

Speaking with JIS News, Deputy Director of Tourism, Sandra Scott, said the event will entail presentations and panel discussions on several topics. These include: enhancing competitiveness through travel facilitation; brand development and international marketing; management of natural and man-made crises; and building tourism linkages across the public and private sectors.

Among the notable speakers scheduled to attend are: Assistant United States Attorney in the Department of Justice, Jared Strauss; Executive Director, Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), Ronald Jackson; Regional Director for the Americas, United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Carlos Vogeler; Director of Research and Information Technology, Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO), Winfield Griffith; and President and Chief Executive Officer, Sagicor Bank Jamaica Ltd. and Chairman, Tourism Linkages Council, Donovan Perkins.

“We are targeting students from tertiary institutions, in the tourism faculties; tourism stakeholder partners; tourism entities from the region; ministers of tourism from the region; and local and overseas journalists, including six media houses from the United States, and Canada,” Ms. Scott outlined.

She pointed out that the seminar will cover all aspects of tourism with opportunities for “networking, business card exchange, and for persons to meet all of the ‘movers’ and ‘shakers’ in the industry in the region and internationally, who will share their best practices.”

Persons can register online and access additional information at www.visitjamaica.com/tourismseminar .

The registration fee is J$10,000/US$100 for two days or J$ 6,000 /US$ 60 for one day, and covers conference material, lunch, coffee break, and admission to the welcome reception.

Organizers of Tourism Outlook Seminar 2014 are the Ministry of Tourism and Entertainment, and its marketing and promotions agency, Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), in partnership with the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).