Jamaica Hosted WTO Joint International Seminar on Evaluating Tourism Marketing in the Caribbean

Jamaica was home to the region’s first joint World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) event in over 10 years at the Sunset Jamaica Grande Resort and Spa, Ocho Rios this past weekend.

Participants at the event that took place between July 11 and 13 came mostly from the Caribbean, along with delegates from Nicaragua, Mexico and Panama. Presenters were from the UNWTO, CTO, Commonwealth Tourism Center in Malaysia and the Canadian Tourism Commission.

Some 20 Jamaicans from a cross section of tourism affiliated entities such as the Jamaica Tourist Board, Jamaica Trade & Invest, Jamaica Vacations, Association of Jamaican Attractions, Airports Authority of Jamaica and the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Organization, with representatives from other private sector tourism entities, were registered for the three-day event.

The program officially opened by Minister of Tourism, Entertainment & Culture, Aloun Assamba on July 11, was aimed at providing a methodological training on evaluation techniques, and will not focus on the design of marketing programs.

The seminar and workshop were presented by the UNWTO, and the CTO with funding from the European Commission under the Regional Sustainable Tourism Development Program, the Caribbean Tourism Center (CTC), in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism, Entertainment and Culture of Jamaica and the Jamaica Tourist Board.

The chief aim of the program was to improve the skills of the participating organizations and companies in the field of marketing auditing as well as the evaluation of marketing and promotion activities.