Jamaica hosts successful JAPEX 2023
The highly anticipated Jamaica Product Exchange (JAPEX) returned in-person Sept. 11 – 13 to Montego Bay for the first time since 2019, with organizers hailing it as successful.
Held at the Montego Bay Convention Centre, “it provided networking, panel discussions, tourism product updates and more for attending media, travel agents, tour operators and tourism industry partners from across the globe with destinations represented including the US., U.K, Canada, Latin America, Europe, India, Japan and the Caribbean,” said the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) recently.
“As Jamaica’s tourism sector continues its strong recovery, it was deeply gratifying to see the return of JAPEX met with such enthusiasm and acclaim,” said Edmund Bartlett, minister of Tourism, Jamaica. “The opportunity to share news and information about Jamaica while showcasing all that the destination has to offer visitors was particularly welcome.
“We were very pleased to see the event so well-attended and hope that our industry partners learned even more about what makes our island so unique and appealing for travelers,” he added.
JTB said JAPEX kicked off with an educational session on topics including: what’s new on island; Gen AI; destination marketing; targeting the health and wellness market; and engaging the Diaspora.
Later that evening, JTB said attendees were treated to a Welcome Reception sponsored by Chukka Ocean Outpost, Sandy Bay, featuring live entertainment, music and fun.
“Over the following two days, JAPEX was in full swing with a busy trade show floor while various tours and activities were scheduled for attendees including a special breakfast for media with Minister Bartlett,” JTB said. “The event concluded with a musical celebration, food and beverages hosted by Sandals Montego Bay that was enjoyed by all.”
Among the news shared about Jamaica, Bartlett announced that Jamaica will have a total of 1.1 million scheduled worldwide airline seats this fall, the largest amount the destination has ever received for the period.
He also noted key new hotels scheduled to open in 2024, including the first 1,000 rooms of the 2,000-room Princess Hotel in Hanover, the 650-room Riu Palace Aquarelle in Falmouth and the 450-room Unico in Montego Bay.
“For January through August 2023, destination earnings grew by some U.S. $400 million dollars or 16.2 percent over the same period in 2019 to US$2.9 billion in earnings,” added Donovan White, JTB’s director of tourism. “So, we are extremely ecstatic that we are growing in the right places and growing steadily.”
“This year, our forecast for stopover visitors will increase over 2019 by 5 percent to 2.814 million compared to 2.68 million and we are projecting US $4.2 billion in earnings,” he added.
With the continued growth of Jamaica’s tourism sector and an increasing number of international visitors flocking to the island, JTB said there are also a number of infrastructure developments underway.
It said these include expansion and modernization at Sangster International Airport and Norman Manley International Airport, as well as new highway construction projects, “designed to improve traffic flow and open more areas of the island to tourism.”
