For the second year running, the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) hosted its tradeshow, Jamaica Travel Market (JTM) from September 28 -29 at the Luton Hoo Hotel, Golf & Spa. 

The event focused on the island and provided a B2B platform for British tour operators and agents to meet with Jamaican suppliers and partners directly.

They were also given the opportunity to speak directly with Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism, The Hon. Edmund Bartlett who shared the island’s resort developments and new investments.

During the gala awards dinner, Bartlett told delegates that he aims to attract 300,000 visitors a year from the UK and become the leading Caribbean destination for UK tourists.

The dinner also honoured some of Jamaica’s top performing tour operators.

Awards and honourable mentions were given to those who had the largest growth in room nights.

The winners on the night included:

• BA Holidays won largest growth by a UK tour operator
• Barrhead Travel won largest growth by a UK travel agency/tour operator
• Expedia won largest growth by a UK online tour operator
• TUI UK & Ireland won largest growth by a UK charter tour operator
• TUI Nordic won largest growth by a Nordic tour operator
• Scott Dunn won largest growth by a luxury tour operator
• Sackville Travel won largest growth by a Caribbean specialist operator
• Virgin Holidays won the Jamaican tourism industry’s Choice Award

Talking from the event, Bartlett said: “Jamaica Travel Market continues to grow from strength to strength which comes towards the end of a very positive year for us. We are on track to be up 5% on the previous year and this is a result of the efforts of our valued stakeholders. It is always great to meet the key individuals who play such an important role in driving tourism to our great island.

“It is also important that we regularly come together to strategically identify what the consumer passion points are and what drives people to Jamaica so that we can deliver these things to them. The key objective remains to achieve a seamless approach so that our visitors know exactly where to visit when they come to Jamaica and how to get there”.

Pictured from the left are : Jade Semple, Barrhead Travel;  Michala Burton, Virgin Holidays; Antonia Bouka, TUI; minister of tourism The Hon. Edmund Bartlett, Laverne Walker, Sackville Travel; Sophie Van den Driessche, TUI; Hannah Butler, Expedia; Rikki Partridge, BA Holidays; Helen Edwards from Essential Detail collecting the award for Scott Dunn; Elizabeth Fox, Jamaica Tourist Board’s regional director UK and Europe; and David Wheterson, BA Holidays.