Jamaica Tourism Revs Up for the Upcoming Winter Season
Growth from the Canadian market to that long-time favorite Caribbean destination, Jamaica, is on the plus side year-to-date and that has the Jamaica Tourist Board feeling buoyant as the calendar turns to winter 2019/20.
The uptick is 1 percent from January to September 2019 but it’s a positive direction nonetheless as the JTB continues to get out in front of updates about extensions to Jamaica’s state of emergency measures in parishes including St. James, home to Montego Bay.
The SOEs, first announced in 2018, are an important tool in Jamaica’s arsenal for fighting crime, freeing up crucial funding. The SOEs have been extended to Oct. 28.
Donovan White, Director of Tourism for the JTB, says the SOEs “continue to be part of the overall strategy, to enhance feelings of assurance for visitors, and just as importantly, to keep residents safe.”
Travelers researching Jamaica online might stumble across the SOE notifications, but agents and tour operators in this market know that it’s business as usual for Jamaica, always a top pick for Canadian vacationers.
In a sign of confidence from the airlines – especially impressive given the ongoing 737 Max groundings – there are more than 21,000 additional seats to Jamaica from Canadian gateways for winter 2019/20, says White.
With all those extra seats, agents should advise clients to book their preferred resorts early, he added.
Hotels Offers
In the meantime Jamaica has an unprecedented number of new resorts on the way, including developments from Oceans by H10, Princess Hotels, Karisma and Hard Rock.
Princess Hotels and Resorts will construct 2,000 new rooms in Negril, at a cost of $500 million. White has an update for that development as well, noting that the project has yet to break ground but preparatory work is well underway.
Meanwhile Karisma is about to start work on its 750-room resort, and a new Hard Rock is coming to Montego Bay, with 1,250 rooms including a casino. Hard Rock will begin building in early 2020, says White.
In other resort news, Riu Ocho Rios in Jamaica, available exclusively with Sunwing, has debuted a new water park and accommodation options as part of its most recent renovations.
In addition to the ‘Splash Water World’ park, considered a first for the resort chain in Jamaica, the resort now boasts a revamped pool area that comprises five pools, two swim-up bars and a DJ booth by the beach area. There’s also a new indoor playground at the RiuLand kids club, complete with a maze and ball pit, a new teens hangout called Riu4U, and a new RiuFit facility.
Plus, newly-built family rooms bring the total number of accommodation options to 901 rooms. All existing guestrooms have been refreshed with modern décor, plus WiFi is available in all rooms.
White says Riu Montego Bay will close temporarily next summer, from April to August 2020, for the same refit.
And recently the biggest resort news is that Planet Hollywood is coming to Jamaica. Sunwing Travel Group, as master hotel franchisor to the Planet Hollywood brand in a deal announced in 2018, already has Planet Hollywood Costa Rica and, in March 2020, Planet Hollywood Cancun will open. The new Planet Hollywood in Jamaica, with 600+ rooms, will break ground in 2020.
Always a leader in the weddings and honeymoons markets, especially with so many Sandals and Beaches Resorts on the island, Jamaica is looking to shore up its presence in these markets.
Other Caribbean islands have come on strong with destination wedding and honeymoon offers in the past several years and Jamaica is determined to guard and grow its share with these lucrative markets.
Source: Travelweek Group
