Bartlett preparing craft traders for changing market
MINISTER OF Tourism Edmund Bartlett has called on craft traders and producers in the resort city of Montego Bay, St James, to put themselves in order and prepare for increased sales opportunity.
Noting that the expansion of cruise shipping for Montego Bay is on stream, Bartlett said, “The port is being expanded to accommodate the largest ship in Carnival Cruise Lines that is to come in 2020, and the Aida is also going to bring their largest ship with 6,000 passengers during the period, so we have to prepare ourselves for the expansion and the larger volume that is coming.”
His assurance was given to the executive members of the Harbour Street Craft Market during a walk-through to speak one on one with traders and producers on Friday.
NEED FOR MARKETING
Bartlett also spoke to the need for marketing and use of social media.
“We’re going to have to start marketing through Internet marketing platform CLIO, who we are going to engage, so that all our markets will be on their schedule and that will help to position you on-board the ships before they come so that people will know where they are going and not be taken anywhere when they get off at the port,” he said.
The Harbour Street Craft Market tour was part of a planned move by the tourism minister to have an overall look at the product through visiting locations, seeing what is being offered, and discussing with stakeholder groups the way forward.
“It’s important for us to ensure that the strategy of building the retentive capacity of our economy for the tourism dollar is understood by all and that need for us to keep more of the dollar in Jamaica supersedes all the other needs right now,” said Bartlett, as he underscored the realisation that “what makes that retention happen is the local capacity that we build, and that is about the ordinary Jamaican who is providing the creative experience that the visitor consumes when they come here”.
He sees his role in this as giving expression to that through policy and strategy development “to enable more and more of our local Jamaicans to benefit from the growth of tourism.”To do so, he underlined that the industry was operating in a changing market and all partners in the industry had to be responsive to the changes.