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Jamaica’s Tourism Minister charges CHICOS to encourage investment in experiences

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Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett says for the Caribbean Hotel Investment Conference and Operations Summit (CHICOS) to be truly relevant to the region it must look beyond investments in accommodation and encourage investment in experiential marketing arrangements that will keep the Caribbean competitive and cutting edge at all times.

Minister Bartlett pointed out that while 15,000 rooms are to be constructed in the next five years, “the essence of tourism for the Caribbean is not about building more rooms, it is about building the capacity of the region to absorb the demand that tourism brings.”


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“This capacity resides in our ability to invest more in the experiences that are consumed by the visitor because those experiences tend to be local and these local experiences are owned by the people of the region. It is that ownership of the indigenous experiences that allows for the retention of the dollar in our space,” he noted.

The Tourism Minister was giving the main address at the CHICOS press launch yesterday (May 7) at the Terra Nova Hotel, Kingston. The conference, considered a must-attend annual event for anyone interested in tourism and hospitality in the Caribbean, will be held from November 14-15 at Secrets Resorts in Montego Bay.

Pointing out that people travel to fulfil their passions, Minister Bartlett noted that 88% of the world travels for food experiences and 42% of travelers’ total expenditure is on food while 67% of the world travels for shopping experiences. Health and wellness, sport and entertainment and knowledge were some of the other passion points that motivate people to travel.

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“So I want to encourage you in planning the conference to pitch the supply side – what the tourist consumes when they get to the destination. Hotel rooms and accommodation are only the places where visitors sleep. The tourist does not travel to sleep. So sleeping is not the issue; the issue is experiences,” Minister Bartlett said, noting that this was how the Ministry was able to increase the tourism dollar retention from 30% to 40.8% in the last three and a half years.

In his address, State Minister in the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agricultural, Hon. Floyd Green said that while the tourism sector continues to show rapid annual growth, there have also been deliberate and prioritized key initiatives to facilitate local and foreign direct investments to drive growth of the Jamaican economy, including the tourism sector.

One of these initiatives is the National Investment Policy (NIP), which once finalized will act as a comprehensive policy framework to guide the development, administration and monitoring of the investment community. The other initiatives are implementation of the National Business Portal (NBP), an online platform that will house the Business-to-Government (B2G) online interface for all Government entities involved in the investment or business facilitation process as well as a drive to achieve a Top 10 rank in the 2021 Doing Business Report (DBR).

The two-day conference will bring together some 300 regional and international delegates, including governmental representatives, developers, bankers, tourism officials, hotel industry leaders, to explore possibilities for hospitality development in Jamaica and in the wider Caribbean.

Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO) is a planning partner for the conference along with AM Resorts, HVS Global Hospitality Services and Apple Leisure Group. Sponsors include the Jamaica Tourist Board and the Tourism Enhancement Fund.

MEDIA CONTACT: Jamaica Ministry of Tourism, Corporate Communications, 64 Knutsford Boulevard, Kingston 5, Tel: 920-4926-30, Fax: 920-4944

Moscow selected to host annual GSMA Mobile 360 Series event

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Eurasia conference, a regional event held as part of the activities of GSMA (Global System for Mobile Communications Association), will be held in Moscow, October 8-9 2019.

The decision to host the event in Moscow was adopted as a result of an active work of the Russian Convention Bureau which provided the proposal for venues, and organized an inspection visit for representatives of the international association.

The event will be held in Moscow for the second time, following the successful launch in 2018 which gathered over 600 attendees from 21 countries and 52% were Director-level and above.

In 2019, the conference and exhibition will bring together over 600 policymakers, regulatory authorities, international organisations, Mobile Network Operators, mobile technology solution providers and broader ICT ecosystem players from Russia, the CIS region and the international market leaders in 5G technology. The event will be held at the Lotte Hotel Moscow.

Anton Kobyakov, Advisor to the President of the Russian Federation, said: “The sphere of mobile and high technologies plays a key role in stimulating economic growth, attracting foreign investments and increasing global competitiveness through development of science and technology. Adding more industries to the list of events organized by the Russian Convention Bureau will not only facilitate the development of corresponding areas of the real economy sector but also help create the image of the country on the international arena as one of the most meaningful players on the market of the event industry.”

Alexey Kalachev, Director of the Russian Convention Bureau, said: “We use various tools of working with international associations as we work to attract various business events to Russia. We are ready to offer universal and customized solutions that will correspond to the needs and expectations of conference organizers of various scale in different industries.”

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Montréal-Trudeau Airport awarded prestigious 4-Star rating

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Montréal-Trudeau Airport (YUL) has for the first time been awarded a prestigious 4-Star rating under the Skytrax World Airport Star Rating program, joining the ranks of other major world airports. The results obtained from this ranking, considered a benchmark in the global airport industry, stem from an audit conducted last March.

This fourth star recognizes the major investments made in recent years to modernize the airport’s infrastructure and achieve the highest industry standards, as well as employee efforts to enhance the passenger experience day after day.

“In 2018, Aéroports de Montréal challenged itself to obtain a 4-Star Skytrax rating for the YUL site,” said Philippe Rainville, President and CEO of Aéroports de Montréal. “After pushing our limits and raising the bar to improve customer experience, we learned today that the challenge has been successfully met. ADM is extremely proud of the dedication and excellent work done by all employees at the airport and in the airport community.”

In the past year, many initiatives have been put in place to enhance the passenger experience and the fluidity of processes, as well as to optimize terminal maintenance. YUL now has a new team of ambassadors serving passengers, technology-based control and monitoring processes to ensure the cleanliness of facilities, self-service baggage check-in kiosks, and a fifth baggage carousel in the international zone.

The “World Airport Star Rating,” created in 2000, is recognized in the industry as a global benchmark for airport standards. Ratings range from 1 Star to the most prestigious 5-Star rating. Skytrax specializes in ranking international airline organizations and advises airlines and airports around the world on ways to improve the quality of service delivery and facility management.

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New team member at The Pod Hotels

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The Pod Hotels is striving to address the rapidly-increasing demand for affordable lifestyle hotels targeted at progressive-minded and budget-conscious travelers who are creative and ambitious and who maintain high expectations when it comes to authentic experiences, smart design and intuitive technology.

As part of this progress, BD Hotels today announced the appointment of Rani Gharbie as the Head of Acquisitions & Development for The Pod Hotels, BD Hotel’s highly profitable micro-hotel concept to replicate this successful business model in even more key markets including Miami, San Francisco, Chicago, Austin, Boston, Nashville, Seattle, Montreal, Toronto, and Mexico City, amongst others.

Gharbie formerly oversaw development and acquisitions for North America at Virgin Hotels where he actively contributed to grow the brand’s footprint in key markets.

As Head of Acquisitions & Development working closely with BD Hotels owners Richard Born and Ira Drukier, Gharbie will be responsible for identifying potential investment opportunities and bringing together strategic partners and investors to fund future projects in numerous markets. He will leverage BD Hotels’ expertise in hotel development, investment and operations to expand The Pod Hotels brand across the country and eventually globally.

“Rani joins us at a pivotal time as we scale The Pod Hotels portfolio exponentially in North America” said Richard Born, Owner of BD Hotels. “He will undoubtedly be a tremendous asset as he brings over 20 years of experience in hotel acquisitions, development and operation.”

“I’m looking forward to expanding the profitable model Richard and Ira created to key markets nationwide,” said Gharbie. “I see great growth potential for the brand as there is an increased desire from today’s travelers to stay at smart, innovative brands like The Pod Hotels.”

Prior to joining Virgin Hotels, Gharbie was the Managing Director and Founder at Cedar Funds, a New York City based development and investment firm with a focus on progressive hotel and real estate assets, as well as regional Director of Development with InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG). In addition, Gharbie is an Adjunct Professor at Columbia’s Masters in Real Estate Development program, where he teaches the spring course Private Equity Development, Hotel Focus. He holds a Masters Degree from the program, an MBA from the HEC Business School in Montreal, a Bachelor degree in Hotel Management from the Glion Hotel School in Switzerland, and a Certificate in Hotel Real Estate Investments and Asset Management from Cornell University in New York.

The Pod Hotels currently has five properties in the portfolio, three of which opened over the past two years (the brand’s flagship Pod Times Square opened in January 2018; Pod DC and Pod Brooklyn opened in 2017), with the brand recently announcing two more hotels in the direct pipeline (Pod Philly opening in fall 2019 and Pod LA slated for 2020). With its functional guestrooms, vibrant communal space and flexible design, The Pod Hotels presents superior investment returns when compared to legacy hotel brands of similar positioning.

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Prime Minister Holness encourages more investments in Jamaica’s tourism product

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Prime Minister Holness is inviting more investors to tap into development opportunities in Jamaica, particularly in the tourism industry as he believes the trajectory of the value of the industry is going to take off rapidly.

“The opportunities here are great. We’re now in that phase where we are seeking to re-imagine Jamaica’s tourism as a high-value, high-quality destination. We have all the elements to achieve that and we are working towards it. Now is the time for investors to get in because the trajectory of the value of the industry is going to take off rapidly,” said the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister made these remarks on Friday at the Ameterra Group’s groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of an 800-room resort in Stewart Castle, Trelawny. This will be followed by another 400 rooms in the second phase and over time will see an estimated 8,000 hotel rooms to be constructed on the 1,000-acre property.

It is being developed by former North Trelawny Member of Parliament Keith Russell, his wife, Paula; and international partners, Tourism & Leisure Development International owner, Francisco Fuentes, along with Rexton Capital Partners Limited’s owners Mustapha Deria and Guillermo Velasco.

Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon Audley Shaw also shared that investment opportunities also exist within the agriculture industry.

Amaterra Group Chairman, Keith Russell (second left) explains his development plans for the Amaterra Group’s first hotel site to Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness (centre), Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture, Fisheries and Investments, Hon Audley Shaw (left), Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett; and Amaterra Group Chairman, Paula Russell. The occasion was the ground-breaking ceremony for Ameterra Group’s construction of an 800-room resort in Stewart Castle, Trelawny on Friday April 12, 2019.

“A few miles from here, the Government has 13,000 acres of land that used to be in sugar…Applications are flowing in for thousands of acres and those 13,000 acres by the end of this year must be in full production,” said Minister Shaw.

The Prime Minister lamented, however, that while the country is ripe for investments, the existing bureaucracy often makes it difficult for investments to happen seamlessly.

“The public bureaucracy does not always understand or is empathetic to the speed of business. They operate on two different timelines and they take into consideration, non-commercial things that sometimes add a burden, which is not just frustrating but has real costs to doing business,” said the Prime Minister.

He went on to share that, “It takes the overarching leadership of the country to ensure that the rules are created and are such that they encourage business at the speed of thought, and that is where Jamaica is heading. Everything that I have done so far as Prime Minister is to challenge the institutional thinking that has kept us from growing and I will continue to challenge it because it needs to be done.”

Creating a More Inclusive Tourism Industry

The Prime Minister also reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to create a culture of inclusion in the industry so that more Jamaicans will feel they benefit from the rapidly growing and lucrative industry.

Tourism Minister, Hon Edmund Bartlett shared these sentiments, adding that his Ministry is focusing on creating an industry which “involves the integration of more communities. One of the visions is to establish a tourism integration development arrangement that will be embodied in something called a Tourism Innovation City.”

The Tourism Minister added that the objective of the innovation city is to enable the hotel/attraction to become ‘the fulcrum around which the economic and social development of the entire communities around it is predicated.

When he [Keith Russell] spoke about the Group’s integrated approach to bring agriculture, manufacturing, BPO, retail, attractions of various kinds within that frame – is in fact to establish fully what the thinking of this concept is about.”

It was noted that the first 1,200 rooms of the Amaterra project will yield 3,200 direct employees and another 2,000 indirect employees.

The completed Amaterra Group project will include resorts, entertainment facilities, theme parks, a pedestrian town centre, manufacturing facilities and special economic zones.

MEDIA CONTACT: Jamaica Ministry of Tourism, Corporate Communications, 64 Knutsford Boulevard, Kingston 5, Tel: 920-4926-30, Fax: 920-4944