Jamaica celebrates JAPEX 2019 with an optimistic perspective

The 29th annual edition of Jamaica Product Exchange (JAPEX) concluded with great success, receiving delegates from the United States, Canada, Latin America and Europe - with a significant increase in buyer participation compared to last year. Organized for two days at the Montego Bay Convention Center, the annual trade fair and conference successfully connected visiting buyers with 91 supplier companies, represented by 220 delegates, through more than 1000 business appointments.

"Jamaica is experiencing record numbers, important developments and receiving worldwide recognition like never before," said Tourism Director Donovan White. "Tourism is our largest generator of foreign exchange and the second largest employer of our human capital, and we are proud to share that the industry is once again preparing to achieve year-on-year growth in arrivals and profits."

In addition to the 9.1% growth for August 2019, Director White noted that the destination has reached revenues of $ 2,390 million, representing a 12 percent growth in revenue. The projections foresee a rebound in arrivals with a 7% scale for the last quarter of the year, bringing 2019 to a total of 2.68 million arrivals.

The Jamaica Tourist Office announced a greater commitment to existing key markets, such as New York and Detroit, with the addition of daily direct routes from American Airlines and Delta Airlines to Montego Bay. Other air transport additions include increases in Manchester, United Kingdom; Moscow, Russia and Lima, Peru.

Below is a summary of the new developments in the sector:

The AC Hotel by Marriott in Kingston opened in June as Jamaica's new lifestyle hotel, adding 219 rooms to the general inventory of the capital. The property is located on six acres within the golden triangle of the city, serving business and leisure travelers.

In Port Antonio, Geejam Collection is launching 12 new 550-square-foot rooms as part of its latest development plan. The Marumba studios, scheduled to open later this year, will present a modern creative design, overlooking the surrounding tropical rainforest and the crystal blue sea.

RIU Ocho Rios will reopen to the public this month after a complete renovation of its 790 rooms, with the addition of 45 new family rooms.

In Trelawny, the new Oceans by H10 will offer 1000 rooms, of which 500 of them will be inaugurated this November.

The Government of Jamaica completed the sale of land in Salem, St. Ann for Karisma hotel developers to begin the construction of 3,000 rooms in several phases, starting with 700 later this year.

Sangster International Airport (SIA) in Montego Bay is making infrastructure improvements, which include a new design theme, the addition of 25,800 square feet to the departure terminal and improvements to the commercial area with a renewed focus on Jamaican specialty products and handmade products

In August, Jamaica launched an online version of the Immigration and Customs Declaration form for visitors arriving at the island's international airports. The new online format allows passengers to be processed more easily, which reduces waiting times for both immigration and customs.