2017: a phenomenal year for Destination Ja
DESTINATION JAMAICA is riding a crescendo it has never before experienced as for the first time in a calendar year, the island welcomed four million visitors. With this incredible achievement, there is much to celebrate.
The secret of the island’s success in the tourist industry is undergirded by a robust and effective marketing machinery, as well as fruitful relationships with local and international partners and stakeholders.
As the agency at the forefront of Jamaica’s marketing thrust, the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) has been central to the success of Destination Jamaica. A closer look at the phenomenal year that was 2017 saw the JTB executing and participating in crucial international industry events such as ITB Berlin; the hosting of Jamaica Travel Market; and the JTB’s own business-to-business tradeshow which targets tour operators and agents in the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Nordic and Scandinavian region, and other regions in Europe. The JTB also participated in a number of tradeshows that promoted the diversity of the island’s tourism product such as its meetings and incentive travel portfolio, sports tourism capabilities, soft adventures menus, and music festival offerings. Marketplace activities included promotions in key source markets such as Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany. These activities featured participation in trade shows, sales blitzes and pop-up shops. For example, during the IAAF World Athletics Championships, London was vibrant with the sights of Destination Jamaica as the JTB spread the Jamaican vibe across the city with 150 wrapped taxis featuring Jamaican themes. In New York City, the JTB launched its first interactive ‘Feel the Vibe’ pop-up shop, where visitors enjoyed exciting interactive Jamaican experiences, a promotion that was replicated in Vancouver.
In pursuit of increasing visitor arrivals from the Caribbean, the JTB, for the first time, took the Experience Jamaica campaign outside the borders of the island with an inaugural launch at the Trade Investment Convention (TIC) in Trinidad and Tobago. The result was extraordinary as of the 275 exhibitors and 210 booths, the Experience Jamaica Village was voted the Best Booth in the large category, second only to Tobago.
Hosted record number of travel agents and media groups
The JTB also hosted a record number of travel agent and media groups on the island, which augmented the exposure the destination received in the international marketplace. Over 71 travel agent groups from Europe, Latin America, the United States, Asia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the Caribbean got intimate experiences of the island’s offerings, which empowered them to better sell Jamaica to their clients.
There is heightened interest in Destination Jamaica and journalists from around the world are always excited to cover the rhythm and vibe of the island. This resulted in the JTB hosting almost 100 media press trips in 2017. The media outlets represented the wide gamut of the industry, with coverage from the likes of: Billboard, Daily Telegraph (United Kingdom), Manchester Evening (United Kingdom), National Geographic Traveller (Holland) and Suddeutsche Zeitung (Germany).
The ‘Feel the Vibe’ influencer social media campaign was yet another first for the JTB. During the campaign, selected social media influencers with large followings were invited to the island to explore and find their own ‘vibe’ in Jamaica. The campaign created waves and amplified Destination Jamaica on digital platforms.
Destination Jamaica again took the spotlight at international industry celebrations and copped numerous awards in 2017: Travvy Awards for Best Honeymoon Destination, Best Culinary Destination, Best Tourism Board Overall and Best Tourism Board; Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) Adrian Awards for the JTB’s marketing of the Jamaica House 2016 at the 31st Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
Flight Network named Jamaica among the World’s Top Honeymoon Destinations, and for the 12th consecutive year, the Jamaica Tourist Board was named Favourite Tourist Board in the coveted Baxter Travel Media’s Agents’ Choice Awards.
Also in 2017, TripAdvisor ranked Jamaica at #12 on the TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Awards’ ‘World’s Best Destinations’ list, while the Jamaica Tourist Board received the 2017 TravelAge West WAVE Award in the category of ‘International Tourism Board Providing the Best Travel Agent Support’.
World’s Leading Cruise and Wedding Destination
To close out the year, Jamaica was voted World’s Leading Cruise and Wedding Destination at the World Travel Awards (WTA) in December. Other winners at the WTAs included World’s Leading All-Inclusive Company (Sandals Resorts International); World’s Leading All-Inclusive Family Resort Brand (Beaches Resorts); World’s Leading Caribbean Attraction Company (Island Routes Caribbean Adventures); World’s Leading Luxury Hotel Villa (Ian Fleming Villa @ GoldenEye, Jamaica); and World’s Leading Villa Resort (Round Hill Hotel & Villas).
The outlook for 2018 is even better as Destination Jamaica strives to keep the momentum for more successes while creating more enriching visitor experiences in the Home of All Right.