We’re all in tourism together
Dear Editor,
In normal times we would be celebrating December 15 as the start of the winter tourist season in this hemisphere. It is usually a time of great promise and anticipation, particularly in the past decade in which our tourist arrivals and hotel occupancies grew exponentially.
It is no secret that the novel coronavirus pandemic has caused a severe contraction in bookings, especially from overseas guests, and the forecast for winter 2020/2021 is, as a result, very bleak. A survey among the membership in the accommodation sector indicates that we will finish 2020 with just under 30 per cent occupancy. January will be in the teens and February, the twenties. March could see us back in the thirties, and we are hoping that the travellers in our source markets will be sufficiently vaccinated by April to take us into the forties and fifties.
While the forecast for international travel is still weak due to increased numbers of COVID-19 cases overseas and locally, we are encouraged by the return of airlines like British Airways, Copa, and others, which indicates an improved confidence in Destination Jamaica.
There is a large amount of pent up demand for travel following the unprecedented global lockdown, months of closed borders, and travel bans, and while the expected rebound in 2021 is based on the assumption of the lifting of travel restrictions and improved traveller confidence, we are ensuring that Jamaica is ready to fill that demand when the time comes.
We are very thankful to the Jamaicans in the Diaspora and at home for their support. While it cannot fully compensate for the decline in tourism flows, the domestic tourism market has strengthened and is a critical driving force in our island’s tourism recovery.
We thank the Ministry of Tourism and the Jamaica Tourist Board for their efforts, including, most recently, the series of travel agent familiarisation trips which will certainly help drive our recovery and support tourism.
The Ministry of Finance has given us every assurance that the Supporting Employees with the Transfer of Cash (SET Cash) and Business Employee Support and Transfer of Cash (BEST Cash) payments to eligible members are being brought up to date, and it is our hope that these funds, along with earnings throughout the Christmas season and into the new year, will help keep our doors open and our teams employed.
I want to take this opportunity to thank my council members, all of our Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) members and our dedicated staff who have rallied around the cause of survival in this unprecedented global health, social, and economic emergency called COVID-19.
Many of us are out in the communities with our colleague JHTA COVID-19 ambassadors helping to educate, inform and impart all that we have learnt about safety protocols and systems to keep our teams, families and communities safe.
We still have a lot to do as evidenced by the actions of some of our residents who are understandably, COVID-19 weary and frustrated. But it is important that we keep focused; adhere to the strictures of social distancing, mask wearing and sanitising; and encourage all around us to do the same.
Winter 2020/2021 is here, different from what we have become accustomed to in the recent past, but the reality we must pivot to survive. We are confident that we will recoup lost ground in 2021 and your council will do everything possible to leverage our relationships, experience, and expertise internationally and locally for the benefit of all.
We’re all in this thing together, and we will prosper and succeed together.
Clifton Reader
President
Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association