Service Excellence Important in Enhancing Tourism Product – Bartlett

Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett, has stressed the importance of service excellence in enhancing and improving the tourism product.
“It is imperative that we strengthen our total tourism product by diversifying our product offerings, enhancing the quality of the product offerings and by elevating the service level,” he stated at a recent press briefing held at his New Kingston office.
He said that “to remain on top of the competition, we must set ourselves apart from others and consistently provide service that far exceeds the expectations of the guest.”
As a means of highlighting and recognising service excellence within the industry, the Tourism Ministry will be staging the inaugural Tourism Service Excellence Awards on April 24, at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Montego Bay, St. James. The event was previously slated for March 28.
Dubbed the Oscar of Tourism, the event will feature the ‘best of the best’ from across the island, in the hospitality sector.
“We want to make Jamaica top of mind by the quality service that we offer…as a result, we will be identifying, giving value to and rewarding high-touch service as we encounter them throughout the industry,’ the Minister stated.
High-touch service, he noted “gives you a piece of the people, whom you serve, and that cannot be replaced by anyone else, anywhere else. The awards function is therefore ideal in singling out for special honour, that person, that organisation, which has been sited as being the top of the tops.”
Thirteen persons and nine organisations within the tourism industry have been selected as finalists for the awards. From the finalists, six persons and six organisations representing the island’s resort areas of Kingston, Port Antonio, Ocho Rios, Montego Bay, Negril and the South Coast, will be recognised and awarded for exceptional service.
Each resort winner would be presented with the Resort Area Champion Trophy plus $50,000.
Additionally, the top individual and organisation champions will be selected from the awardees and will receive the National Champion Individual and National Champion Organisation Trophies.
The National Champion Individual will also receive a cash prize of $100,000 and a week-long trip for two to the islands of St. Maarten, Antigua, and Barbados. The winner will fly first class, courtesy of Caribbean Airlines and will stay at top resorts in the islands.
The Tourism Minister lauded the finalists and encouraged all workers in the service industry to strive for excellence and “to make it the norm instead of the exception” by going beyond the call of duty to ensure customer satisfaction.