| Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism confident in travel market's buoyancy |
 |
 |
| Thursday, 27 November 2008 11:10 |
|
Jamaica’s Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett is insisting that despite the global financial crisis, the island’s tourism industry remains buoyant. In fact, he says the upcoming winter season is projected to a record high five-percent increase over the previous year.
Speaking in London, where he was attending the World Travel Market Trade Show, Mr. Bartlett responded to concerns that the government’s response to the financial crisis was lukewarm and that critical sectors, such as tourism, were slow off the mark.
“That is absolute nonsense. We have the same information that everybody has, but we also have the value of the broader picture. Because our response has not been doom and gloom, it doesn’t mean that we are not seized by the gravity of the problem. What it means is that our resolve is not to be defeated by it,” he said.
The Minister said that he has engaged the support of stakeholders in the industry and, together, they are closely monitoring the marketplace, improving the local tourism product and intensifying their marketing and promotional efforts.
“Tourism is about marketing and marketing is about selling of the experience, that is destination Jamaica. When times are hardest, you need to market even harder,” he said.
The Tourism Minister said that his ministry, in collaboration with the industry, will continue to fine-tune contingency plans and make proactive interventions in support of the industry.
Set as favorite
Bookmark
Email This
Comments (0)
 |
| Last Updated ( Thursday, 27 November 2008 11:27 ) |
Subscribe to this comment's feed
