Opportunities abound in the tourism sector
Quality and f lexibility needed
SATISFYING THE requirements for quality, price, flexibility in meeting quantity requirements, delivery within agreed timelines and professionalism are the key ingredients in developing strong relationships with the island’s hoteliers, said Aswad Morgan of Therapedic Caribbean.
Morgan, a director at the bed-making company, explained that his organisation has won several large contracts from a number of leading hotel chains, including RIU, Bahía Príncipe, Jewel Resorts, Hilton Rose Hall, Secrets, Melia Braco, Couples, Spanish Court, Half Moon, and Goldeneye, because of their ability to deliver.
Morgan noted that he utilised all the possible platforms for networking and tapping into the sector, including the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association’s (JHTA) Jamaica Product Exchange, Speed Networking, and personal selling. Tourism, he shared, has now become one of his largest and fastest-growing client segments.
His comments come in the wake of complaints by several persons in the country that tourism is not having the trickling down effect of taking citizens out of poverty.
It also comes at a time when the JHTA is urging local entrepreneurs, agricultural interests, and businesses to address some of the untapped opportunities that exist in the tourism industry.
Pointing to the 2015 Tourism Demand Study, a project funded by the Ministry of Tourism, JHTA President Omar Robinson, in his presentation at the association’s annual general meeting, said, “The prospect for import substitution is great as there exists a high level of receptivity among tourism sector stakeholders to local goods and services. This could be converted to business opportunities as the projected demand for agricultural products and manufactured goods indicate that there is tremendous opportunity for trade”.
He argued that the JHTA continues to favour and actively encourage the purchase of locally produced goods, adding that up to recently, the general manager of a large hotel in Ocho Rios noted that as much as 95 per cent of the fruits and vegetables used in the hotel’s operations are purchased locally.
He revealed that the items imported include strawberries, blackberries, pears, American apples, and kiwis as these are unavailable locally. He noted that strawberries are now being produced locally, but they are not available in the quantity needed.
Robinson stated that the purchase of locally produced items is steadily increasing even as he urged his members to support
local businesses. The association, he said, continues to support events and opportunities to create linkages between local businesses and its members.
“Events such as the Speed Networking, which was started by the JHTA in 2015, offer an exceptional opportunity for businesses and entrepreneurs to meet with the purchasing managers and general managers of hotels and attractions throughout the island. The Speed Networking event is now managed by the Tourism Linkages Network in partnership with the JHTA, Jamaica Manufacturing Association, Rural Agricultural Development Authority, and JAMPRO,” Robinson stated.
According to him, the event continues to grow and create strong connections to opportunities in tourism for enterprising businesses.
“Christmas in July offers local artisans an opportunity to showcase their craft for sale in the hotel gift shops. The JHTA’s Travel Trade Show Jamaica Product Exchange also allows businesses to showcase their goods and services not only to the local tourism markets, but international travel partners, which brings with it another layer of opportunity. We encourage persons and businesses to get involved in the sector in order to tap the opportunities present.”
Robinson’s comments have been cemented by Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett, who, on Monday announced that prominent PricewaterhouseCoopers partner Wilfred Baghaloo had been appointed to lead technical arrangements for a tourism working group assessing various issues in the rapidly growing sector.
“This working group has been charged to work on various issues in the tourism space, including entertainment, training, and certification, issuing of work permits, craft vendors, ground transportation, and information for a tourism demand study,” said Bartlett.
He argued that the sector’s aggressive growth strategies are bearing considerable fruit, and it was clear that work is required to ensure that Jamaican businesses and personnel get a bigger share of the pie while balancing reliability, consistency, and quality.
“An official report on the way forward will be prepared and will likely include a series of recommendations for strong legislative and policy reforms,” said Bartlett.
The working group, chaired by Tourism Linkages Council head and hotelier Adam Stewart, has been expanded and will include: prominent business leaders Michael McMorris and Godfrey Dyer; JHTA President Omar Robinson; senior executive Nicola MaddenGreig; president of the Jamaica Cooperative Automobile and Limousine Services, Brian Thelwell; Jamaica Vacations chairman, Bert Wright; National Craft Traders and Producers Association president, Melody Haughton-Adams; Tourism Product Development Company executive director, Dr Andrew Spencer, and representatives from the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, and the Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency.