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Butch can reopen Breezes Mobay now70,000 new air seats this winter
BY INGRID BROWN Observer senior staff reporter browni@jamaicaobserver.com
Friday, September 04, 2009
Airlift to Jamaica is to increase by approximately 70,000 seats this winter season, according to the island's tourism officials who say that a significant number of the flights are expected to provide connections out of several emerging markets in Europe.
The additional airlift was secured by Jamaica's tourism delegation during and after the athletics World Championships in Berlin, Germany last month, Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett told journalists yesterday at a news conference at the tourism ministry in New Kingston.
Deputy director of tourism David Shields (right) displays a poster promoting the Jamaica Tourist Board's 'Experience Jamaica' day scheduled for Devon House in Kingston this Sunday, while director of tourism John Lynch (left) and tourism minister Ed Bartlett look on. Occasion was a news conference hosted by Bartlett and the tourism director in yesterday to update the country on developments in the industry resulting from Bartlett's and Lynch's visit to Europe during the athletics World Championships in Berlin, Germany last month. (Photo: Lionel Rookwood)"Berlin was powerful and valuable and will yield significant reward starting this winter season," said Bartlett in reference to the performance of Jamaica's athletes who won a record 13 medals - seven gold, four silver and two bronze - at the games.
The performance placed Jamaica second to the United States on the medals table but had the entire track and field world marvelling at the island's achievement.
Bartlett said that the tourism delegation utilised the exposure provided by the athletes' performance to make contact with additional tour operators out of Europe as well as with the second largest airline in Italy which is expected to begin flights out of that country this winter.
This, he said, will open up other markets such as Ukraine and further strengthen initiatives in China and other parts of Asia.
Director of Tourism John Lynch said the 70,000 air seats expected into the island from January through to April will represent tremendous opportunities for the tourism sector.
"This year, if we are able to fill the seats we will have a very good winter season," he said.
Lynch said they were able to put in place a winter stimulus programme which will ensure "these airline seats will find it a very good experience".
He said the recent arrangement made with American Airlines has been paying big dividends and the introduction of a flight out of Phoenix will see all the major hubs in the US now being covered.
Lynch also disclosed that British Airways will resume flights to Montego Bay in October with improved connectivity from major gateways in Europe through Gatwick airport.
"Our strategy is to develop direct services to eliminate the need for visitors to get visas through the US," he said.
Lynch added that discussions have also been opened with a carrier out of Latin America which will provide links to countries like Brazil and Chile. The Jamaica Tourist Board, he said, was also planning to stage a Latin American Jamaica Product Exchange (Japex) tourism trade fair to facilitate business out of that region.
Addressing the issue of visitor arrivals, Bartlett said that in the last eight months, with the exception of March, Jamaica has been one of three countries in the world to report monthly growth rates.
For that period, Bartlett said 3.7 per cent or 40,000 more tourists came to Jamaica this year. However, he pointed out that September and November are slow months, and as such hotels use the time to refurbish, which results in reduction in employment.
In the case of Iberostar, which has laid off more than 300 workers because of its temporary closure, Bartlett said the opening of the 700-room Secrets hotel and the Palmyra with an additional 640 rooms by next March will help to find employment for many displaced workers.
Bartlett, however, maintained that even with growth in stopover arrivals expected over the next three months, occupancy will continue to be low because of the increased number of rooms.
"We will have to work harder and will have to be in double-digit growth to make occupancy higher," Bartlett said.
But the tourism minister also said that he was uncertain how long Jamaica will be able to continue attracting more visitors if crime continues at its current level.
"I need help to get the message across that you can't have a destination which will remain top of the line if crime continues at this pace," he said. "It is somewhat of a miracle that we have been holding our own."
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