Tourism Director Cites Potential in Social Media Marketing

Director of Tourism, Paul Pennicook, says Jamaica is fortunate to be part of an era when social media offers the optimum platform to reach consumers consistently, effectively and affordably.

Addressing the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) annual general meeting at the Sandals Ochi Beach Resort, in St. Ann on June 11, Mr. Pennicook said with the advent of the Internet, there has been a seismic shift in how the world receives, shares and uses content.

“Increasingly, the rest of the world is adapting to the Internet and are actively using social media to reach places that were once considered impenetrable,” Mr. Pennicook noted.

He cited the 2016 Global Web Index which shows that three of Jamaica’s targeted markets – Brazil, Mexico and Argentina – spend over three hours daily on average per person, topping the list of most time spent on social media.

“Social media is being utilised like never before to gather, share and consume information. For Jamaica, this presents a significant opportunity to reach these highly engaged and active users,” Mr. Pennicook pointed out.

“This means that if we are looking to chart the path for growth from our traditional source markets and gain ground in emerging and new markets, then we will have to take full advantage of the social media phenomenon,” he added.

Mr. Pennicook said that given the paradigm shift, Jamaica can no longer rely on one channel to carry its message, but should seek to engage its target audience in a dialect and with content that is relevant and meaningful to them.

The Director said it is clear that digital platforms are more influential than they have ever been, playing an increasingly critical role in informing the travel decision.

“The digital space provides a greater opportunity for us to reach, inspire and engage travellers from new and emerging markets,” he pointed out.

“If we take a look at the adoption of internet and social media usage in these markets, we see that in most instances more than half the total population are active internet users, and of those users almost all actively use social media,” the Director said.