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Tourism and Hospitality Seen as Number 1 Choice for Investment

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The Jamaica Chamber of Commerce-commissioned business and consumer confidence indices, for the third quarter of the year, indicate that the tourism and hospitality industry show the highest interest for businesses to invest.

The study indicated that these industries were seen as being able to generate more significant returns, when compared to the other industries in the market.


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“This morning, at the Chamber of Commerce meeting, noted pollster Don Anderson shared the industries which businesses are seeking to invest in the coming future. I am happy to share that the Tourism and Hospitality industries emerged as leaders. This has never happened before, where tourism is seen as the preferred industry in Jamaica, or arguably in the Caribbean,” said Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett.

The Minister was speaking earlier today at the first meeting of the recently announced board of trustees for the for the recently passed landmark Tourism Workers’ Pension Scheme, which took place in the Kingston office of the Tourism Product Development Company.

He also shared that, “In the last 3 ½ years, tourism arrivals has grown by 33% and revenue has grown by nearly 90%. This growth has caused a huge impact on GDP, in terms of the contribution that the tourism industry is making. In these three years, we have moved from 7.2% to 9% in 2017. We are sure, trending, as we are now, that we would have hit the 10% mark by the next review by the PIOJ.

I think that all of this is coming behind these numbers that I just gave you and it makes the point completely that the growth that we are talking about is not fictional. It is being reflected now in investor confidence and investor preference.”

The Jamaica Chamber of Commerce (JCC) announced the results of the 2019 third Quarter Business and Consumer Confidence Indices at the JCC Secretariat. Managing Director at Market Research Services Ltd presented on the findings.

In his address to the board, the Minister said, “I think who we have to lay the accolades to, are the workers of the tourism industry. That is why this activity, that you have agreed to serve, in building out the framework of this landmark legislation, to protect the worker of the industry, is so important. The greatest thanks that we can give the workers, is to make sure that this pension plan works for them.”

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The Tourism Workers’ Pension Scheme Board of Trustees will play a critical role in the management of the Scheme starting with the review of the regulations required to make it operational. Its mandate will also include management of all moneys paid, or assets transferred into the Scheme and the appointment of a Fund manager.

Retired banking and insurance executive, Richard Powell serves as chairperson, with Attorney-at-Law, Hyacinth Lightbourne as deputy-chairman.

The other members are: Retired Actuary, Hon Daisy Coke; President of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association, Omar Robinson; Group Commercial Director of Sandals Resorts, Wayne Cummings; Hotelier, Philipp Hofer; Attorney-at-Law, Carlton Williams; Chartered Accountant, Eric Crawford; Head of the Hugh Lawson Shearer Trade Union Education Institute at UWI’s Open Campus,  Danny Roberts.

The Pension Scheme is a defined contributory plan supported by legislation and will require mandatory contribution by workers and employers.

For more information on Jamaica, click here.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Corporate Communications

Ministry of Tourism,

64 Knutsford Boulevard,

Kingston 5.

Tel: 920-4926-30

Fax: 920-4944

Tourism Resilience Centre partners with Global Council

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Jamaica Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, has announced that the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre has partnered with the Global Travel and Tourism Resilience Council, which is based in London.

The Resilience Council provides a platform for professionals from various industries to share information and best practices regarding resilience, crises and disasters – both man-made and natural – in the context of tourism.

Minister Bartlett, who made the announcement yesterday at the Second Tourism Resilience Summit of the Americas at the U.W.I Regional Headquarters, said “This partnership comes at a time when the tourism industry, which is susceptible to global disruptions, is in need of strategies to be more resilient to these disruptions.

The Global Resilience Council, will be responsible for organizing and enabling global conversations on the issues of innovation, resilience and crisis management. Locally, the GTRCM will coordinate the academic and practical programs of application and implementation.”

The Resilience council has also partnered with multiple governments around the world, including Jordan, South Africa, Jamaica, Greece and Nepal. The Council is Co-Chaired by Minister Bartlett and former United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Secretary General, Dr. Taleb Rifai.

“The GTRCM and the Global Council will become the institutional framework that will drive global resilience and crisis management action,” added Minister Bartlett.

The Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre’s mission includes assisting global tourism destinations with destination preparedness, management and recovery from disruptions and/or crises that affect tourism and threaten economies and livelihoods globally. 

So far, satellite Centres have been established across the globe with the aim of building capacity for the tourism industry to respond to disruptions related to climate change, pandemics and cyber crime among others.

The just concluded Second Tourism Resilience Summit of the Americas, spearheaded by the GTRCM under the theme “Building Tourism Resilience for Sustainable Development’, examined and further explored the experience, best practices, and lessons learnt from tourism climatic resilience initiatives around the world.

Speakers for the event included: Former UNWTO Secretary General, Dr. Taleb Rifai; Professor the Hon. Ambassador Richard Bernal; UNESCO Co-Chair in Island Studies and Sustainability & MAIS Program Coordinator, Professor James Randall; CDEMA’s Executive Director, Mr. Ronald Jackson and Ingenuity Technologies CEO, Melarka Williams.

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

Eventful 3 days for Seychelles delegation led by the Tourism Minister at IFTM Top Resa 2019

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The 41st edition of the IFTM Top Resa, held at the Porte de Versailles exhibition center in Paris, kicked off on October 1 and came to an end on Friday, October 5.

As the industry’s leading business-to-business trade show, IFTM Top Resa is the only French event that brings together the whole tourism sector, featuring multiple segments over four days including, Leisure, Tourism, Business Travel, Group Tourism and Events.

The Trade show gathered over 34,000 professionals, French and international buyers, tourism distribution and production professionals, journalists and media representatives, influencers, students and officials who all came to connect with the 1,700 exhibitors. Exhibitors included tourism boards, airlines, hotel groups, technology companies and startups.

The Seychelles delegation was led by Minister for Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine, Mr. Didier Dogley, who was present at the Seychelles stand for the opening of the annual tourism trade fair.

French travel agents and press expressed immense interest in the Seychelles as a holiday destination, keeping the destination’s stand occupied during the first three days of the IFTM Top Resa tourism fair.

The Seychelles stand consisted of the Seychelles Tourism Board team, accompanied by seven trade partners.

Trade partners and representatives included: 7° South – Corinne Delpech; Masons Travel – Alan Masons and Paul Lebon; Creole Travel Services – Guillaume Albert and Stephanie Marie; Avani Barbarons Seychelles Resorts – Bertrand Moussa; Banyan Tree Seychelles – Marie Gougeon; Coral Strand Hotel and Savoy Resort & Spa – Ekaterina Gritsenko; and Hilton Seychelles – Devi Pentamah.

The Seychelles Tourism Board was represented by its Chief Executive, Mrs. Sherin Francis; STB’s Regional Director for Europe, Mrs. Bernadette Willemin; Marketing Executives from the STB France office, Jennifer Dupuy, Myra Fanchette and Valerie Payet; as well as Marketing Executive from the STB Head Office, Christina Cecile.

Mrs. Francis said: “This year’s IFTM TOP RESA was once again an opportunity to further strengthen our relationship with our French partners. We are happy that we have their renewed commitment to keep on growing this market further. Therefore, we are looking forward to another fruitful year of collaboration.”

Minister Dogley and Mrs. Francis used this opportunity to conduct various meetings with travel trade professionals and give interviews to some high-profile media.

A press conference, with the presence of approximately a dozen journalists, was organized on the second day of the trade show. The delegation updated the media on the Seychelles tourism development, also on the 250 years Seychelles celebration plan. A detailed exposé about the country’s conservation environmental protection initiatives, including the Blue Economy and Blue Bond, was also presented.

The IFTM Top Resa is the turning point of the tourism season, coinciding with the launch of the tour operators’ winter brochures and various promotional campaigns, by different industry players.

STB’s Regional Director for Europe, Mrs. Bernadette Willemin says IFTM Top Resa has once again fulfilled its role as one of the world’s major tourism trade fairs, both in terms of the number of visitors and exhibitors alike.

“Its main role as a forum for travel trade professionals has proven, once again, very fruitful, enabling participants to renew contacts and meet with new interlocutors, discover or re-discover new tourism products and services,” said Mrs. Willemin.

“At the same time, it must be underscored that stiff competition still characterizes IFTM Top Resa and it is the presence therein that a given destination displays its assets to keep its market share, if not increasing it,” she added.

The French market is a significant one for the Seychelles, being the second leading market after Germany. The Seychelles Islands is still a favorite and safe destination for French visitors, as seen by the attention the Seychelles stand received during the Trade Fair.

MEDIA CONTACT: STB News Bureau, Tel: +248 4 671 354 / +248 4 671 313, stbnews@seychelles.travel  www.seychelles.travel

The Seychelles Tourism Board and trade partners ready for the Italian Market

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The Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) and trade partners prepare for the 56th edition of the TTG Travel Experience in Italy, Fiera di Rimini, which runs from October 9, 2019 until October 11, 2019.

The Seychelles delegation, headed by STB Chief Executive Mrs. Sherin, will also consist of the presence of STB Director for Italy, Turkey, Greece and the Mediterranean, Ms. Monette Rose with the support of a team from the Italy office and a representative from Headquarters.

The team will be accompanied by trade partners from Seychelles including 7° South, AVANI Barbarons Seychelles Resort, Berjaya Resorts Seychelles, Creole Travel Services, Hilton Seychelles Resorts, Savoy Resort & Spa and Coral Strand Smart Choice, all present at the trade event to market their services as the Tourism Board team will be selling the destination.

Speaking of the upcoming three-day event and interest of the STB to be present Ms. Monette Rose mentioned the opportunity for the destination representatives and its partners to network with key industry players and understand the recent developments and trends on the Italian market.

On her part, Mrs. Francis stressed that the participation at the TTG Travel Experience in Italy is the extension of the STB team’s presence in Europe.

“We are anticipating to extend our impact on the Italian market as much as we did in France last week, we are very much eager to keep our Italian counterparts updated with the destination and what makes us unique,” said the STB Chief Executive.

TTG Travel Experience is Italy’s most important business-to-business International Tourism Exhibition, and the travel industry’s leading event for doing business, innovating and keeping up to date.

MEDIA CONTACT: STB News Bureau, Tel: +248 4 671 354 / +248 4 671 313, stbnews@seychelles.travel  www.seychelles.travel

Seychelles Tourism Board strengthens its outreach in India with three-city roadshow

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The Seychelles Tourism Board successfully conducted a three-city roadshow in the cities of Chennai in the state of Tamil Nadu, Ahmedabad in the State of Gujarat and the capital city of India; Delhi from Monday September 16 to Friday September 20, 2019.

The key industry players from Seychelles including hotel partners and Destination Management Companies (DMC) alongside the STB representatives. The team, consisting of Mrs. Elsie Sinon- Senior Marketing Executive from the STB Headquarters, Ms. Shakambri Soni and Mrs. Priya Ghag from the Seychelles Tourism Board’s India office, connected with approximately 225 prominent Indian travel and tour operating companies to strengthen their outreach in India.

On the hotel accommodation services side Berjaya Hotels and Resorts, Cerf Island Resort, Four Seasons Seychelles, Hilton Resort & Spa, MAIA Luxury Resort & Spa, Savoy Resort & Spa, Coral Strand Smart Choice Hotel, JA Enchanted Island Resort and soon to open Club Med Seychelles were present at the roadshow.

Creole Travel Services, Mason’s Travel, Vision Voyages represented on the DMC side, Variety Cruises as a cruise operator and Air Seychelles, the national carrier, stood alongside the delegation as part of the Seychelles services experience.

 The trade partners and travel agents were given the chance to network with the exhibitors to learn more about the destination including the diverse products and experiences the Seychelles offers during this interactive roadshow.

Present at the roadshow on the STB team Mrs. Sinon mentioned her satisfaction to have had a successful event in India.

She emphasised that such events create a platform to help service providers in Seychelles and Indian tour operators, to connect and understand mutual needs so as to better design and deliver the Seychelles to all clients, particularly new-age travellers from India while retaining the growth momentum of Indian arrivals into the Seychelles.

Commenting on the event, Ms. Sherin Francis, STB Chief Executive stated that the annual roadshow

in India is one of the marketing events that extremely substantial for the destination.

“It gave us immense pleasure to see our Indian partners always eager to keep updated about the Seychelles. This roadshow was well attended and received a remarkable response from all three cities. India represents a substantial and vast market for Seychelles and these planned events help us to understand the current market dynamics and connect with the existing as well as potential Indian tour operators in Chennai, Ahmedabad and Delhi,” said Mrs. Francis.

On her part Ms. Lubaina Sheerazi, STB representative in India further added, “We are extremely pleased to have received positive and encouraging feedback from stakeholders about the format and quality of meetings conducted at the roadshow. Delhi and Ahmedabad have been among the top three markets for Seychelles and we wanted to revisit these cities to ensure quality engagement with all trade partners there. With our marketing strategies and efforts, we continue this engagement and reach out to more potential markets in the coming years.”

As part of its marketing strategy, each year STB plans to target newer cities in India through roadshows, workshops and selective meetings. STB encourages their partners to participate in the 2020 edition of the roadshow as India is an immensely significant market for the Seychelles.

MEDIA CONTACT: STB News Bureau, Tel: +248 4 671 354 / +248 4 671 313, stbnews@seychelles.travel  www.seychelles.travel