Tourism gets a big boost
WESTERN BUREAU:
JAMAICA’S TOURISM industry received a significant boost on Thursday afternoon with the announcement that Delta Vacations and Turissimo Excursions have partnered to bring in some 60,000 visitors to the island over the next 12 months.
At a press briefing held at the Sangster International Airport, Montego Bay, St James, vice-president of sales and marketing at Turissimo, Salvador Ramos, said the deal between his company and Delta Vacations was “a special one” for Jamaica, noting that these are visitors who are coming specifically to enjoy a full vacation package. Turissimo is the official representative of Delta Vacations in Jamaica. The move also falls in line with projections by Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett as it relates to the upcoming winter tourist season and the expected boost in arrivals.
“This is indeed a special day,” Ramos noted. “One hundred and seventy-five persons came in on the flight today and we are expecting great things as we go along.”
He explained that Turissimo has a “pretty extensive” programme that caters to a variety of services, with guest satisfaction being a top priority.
“We had 40,000 visitors last year and have exceeded that amount by 20,000 this year,” he pointed out. “This is a growing partnership with Delta Vacations, which has been reaping success in other places such as the Dominican Republic and Cancun, and now we are doing the same in Jamaica.”
TOUR CHOICES
Turissimo Excursions is currently one of the most popular destination management companies in the Caribbean. In collaboration with Delta Vacations, it offers a variety of tour choices, ranging from leisurely, to fully escorted tours where each and every detail is taken care of.
Ramos noted that when a package is booked through Delta Vacations, Turissimo handles all the accommodations, ground transportation and tour needs of the guest on arrival in Jamaica, ensuring that the vacation is both first-class and memorable.
He further added that the Turissimo, which is headquartered in Mexico, works very closely with its Jamaican partners, Tropical Tours, its exclusive ground handlers.
For his part, owner of Tropical Tours, Fred Smith, said Jamaica is poised for a major take-off with tourism as the main engine of growth.
“These are real exciting times for the sector,” said Smith, who is also a director of the Jamaica Tourist Board. “Everything I have been seeing points to real exciting times ahead, and I am very happy that Tropical Tours will be playing its part as a major transportation provider.”
He added that the partnership between Turissimo and Delta Vacations bodes well for the future of Jamaica’s tourism, adding that both are reputable international powerbrokers in the sector.
“Thousands of guests will be flowing into Jamaica as a result of this partnership,” he added. “It coincides with the growth agenda of the tourism minister and the projections we have for the winter season, which starts in a couple of weeks. I am really optimistic and excited about the future of tourism.”