JTB honours 50 top travel specialists
WESTERN BUREAU:
IN A dazzling celebration of excellence, the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) honoured the 50 top-producing travel specialists at the prestigious One Love Affair awards ceremony Tuesday evening.
Held at the luxurious Iberostar Grand in Montego Bay, the event marked a remarkable milestone with a record-breaking 220,000 bookings logged for the year 2023 by the 50 travel specialists.
And, as they took centre stage, the evening became a testament to their outstanding contributions and dedication to promoting Jamaican tourism.
The select group, hailing from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom (UK), and Europe, among them one Jamaica-based outfit, the Kingston headquartered ‘Go Jamaica Travel’, has played a substantial part in contributing to the impressive estimated earnings of US$4.1 billion expected from stopover arrivals in the current year.
The recognition highlights the global impact and collaboration driving Jamaica’s thriving tourism industry, and the country’s Director of Tourism Donovan White was not shy about this.
“You have continued to be our ears and our eyes on the ground, wherever you are. You give us the temperature check and tell us what is happening among the travellers, which direction their sentiments are leaning. In many ways, you are the direct connection to the heart, emotions, preferences, likes and dislikes,” White told the packed room which included local tourism stakeholders.
He described the agents’ contribution to Jamaica as priceless. Some 47,000 travel agents are enrolled in the Jamaica Specialist Programme.
Tuesday evening, Canada’s outstanding performance and rebound was evidenced with 15 agents from that North American country being recognised. The USA, which remains the island’s largest source market, awarded 34 outstanding agents, while the UK and Europe fielded five.
“We are humbled and elated by the resilience of our Canadian agents. We salute them for putting Jamaica first to their clients,” the JTB’s Degional director – Canada Angella Bennett told the gathering.
Bennett had a lot to be elated for, as Canada, which struggled to get out the blocks after the COVID-19 pandemic, has seen tremendous progress, with arrivals to Jamaica forecast to outpace 2022 by more than 40 per cent.
The Northeast USA region, which is managed by District Sales Manager Victoria Harper, led that North American nation with 14 of the top 50 producers. However, the agent with the highest output, Lindsey Johnson of Tropics Travel Agency, came out of the Midwest, USA, taking home the coveted ‘Top Producer’ trophy.
This is Johnson’s fifth time in the coveted position, and she says Jamaica has a strong client following, repeat business and new customers who are curious to experience the island. Her main sellers are the Couples Resorts.
“But I sell it all. I sell Sandals, Hyatt, Secrets, but my bread and butter is Couples,” said the travel specialist who has had a fantastic relationship with Jamaica since 2017.
Johnson, who is based in western Kentucky, said she has clients in all 50 states in the USA and other parts of the world. “There is a feeling that you get when you go to Jamaica, the vibe, the culture, that laid-back effect, why we have such a huge repeat business,” she stated.
Johnson revealed that her success with Jamaica does not come easily. “I wake up in the mornings and, until I am going to bed at nights, I am selling Jamaica. I work 365 days of the year. I had babies and worked five hours later.”