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The MPE Caribbean Report Newsletter offers travel, tourism, Caribbean and global news each week. To share stories, information or intelligence, contact us at info@marketplaceexcellence.com. | |
Jamaica selling more than sun, sand and sea | |
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Speaking at the recently held World Free Zones Organization’s Annual International Conference & Exhibition, Senator Aubyn Hill, Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce for Jamaica, stated Jamaica is seeking investors for several mega free zones and special economic zones with a Silicon Valley-type project whose users will create a vibrant ecosystem of business and educational clusters.
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The Olympus Sports City, capitalizing on the nearby Trelawny Multi-purpose stadium, will offer world-class athletic facilities and infrastructure to provide year-round training and coaching services and athletic development, while also drawing sports tourism and related investment to Jamaica.
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The Xanadu special economic entertainment zone, also in Trelawny, is designed to be a media and entertainment hub, housing a major motion picture studio, the largest proposed production facility in the country and wider Caribbean region.
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The Pandora special economic zone will be a cluster for bioresearch, development, and production of pharmaceutical and nutraceutical products, taking advantage of the vast number of medicinal plants and minerals found in Jamaica.
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The West 77° Technopolis offers a cluster for research and development, business enterprises and incubators, universities, STEM schools, heritage and recreational tours and residences, embracing the work-live-learn-play concept.
Hill was among several speakers at the conference who gathered at the Montego Bay Convention Centre for three days to share best practices and insights, raising awareness of the impact of free zones on economic growth.
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After three information-packed days at the MoBay conference, delegates took time to explore the beauty of Jamaica. Here, near Ocho Rios, a doctor bird takes a drink at Sun Valley Plantation. | |
WTTC wants strong Caribbean collaboration | |
WTTC wants the Caribbean to dance to the same rhythm. | |
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The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) reports the Caribbean’s travel and tourism sector could create 1.34 million jobs over the next 10 years if governments and the private sector work more closely together.
At its Sustainability & Investment Summit in Puerto Rico, WTTC launched a new publication, ‘Travel & Tourism in the Caribbean: Prospects for Growth’.
The report addresses a number of key challenges that destinations face and sets clear recommendations to maximize the growth potential of the Caribbean.
In 2019, travel and tourism contributed 13.9% (US$61.5 billion) to the region’s GDP. That figure fell to just 7.1% (US$28.8 billion) in 2020, representing a loss of 53.2%.
The sector also supported more than 2.7 million jobs across the region before experiencing a 25.8% decline, falling to 2.1 million in 2020, a higher drop than the global average.
2021 saw the beginning of the recovery for the Caribbean travel and tourism sector, which recorded the second-fastest recovery of all regions, and saw its contribution to GDP grow by 36.6%, to reach more than US$39 billion (9.1% of the total economy).
Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO, said: “Over the next decade T&T [travel and tourism] in the Caribbean could grow 6.7% annually and be worth 100 billion dollars by 2032. This would create 1.3 million new jobs, totaling 3.8 million people employed by our sector.
“But to achieve a long-term, sustained recovery, governments must work together to focus on connectivity, sustainable infrastructure and attracting investment by cutting red tape and taxes.”
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Guidelines launched to help Caribbean tourism sector conserve coral reefs | |
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At a critical time for economies and the ocean, The Nature Conservancy, the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association and the United Nations Environment Programme have joined forces to create, for the first time in the Caribbean, a guide to coral reef restoration designed specifically for the tourism sector.
Healthy coral reefs are essential for the Caribbean tourism industry, which drives local economies and supports millions of livelihoods throughout the region.
A Guide to Coral Reef Restoration for the Tourism Sector presents best practices backed by scientific research, practitioner experience and stakeholder input. It addresses barriers that, until now, have hindered the Caribbean tourism sector from substantively engaging in efforts to conserve the very marine environments that draw millions of visitors to the region each year.
The guide was developed following months of surveys and discussions with Caribbean tourism industry stakeholders.
Click here to download the guide.
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Frank Rainieri named CAST Director Emeritus | |
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Caribbean hospitality legend Frank Rainieri of Grupo Puntacana in the Dominican Republic was recently named Director Emeritus of the Caribbean Alliance for Sustainable Tourism (CAST), which he co-founded with the late, decorated hotelier Sir Royston Hopkin of Grenada, at a time when sustainability was not yet recognized as an industry-wide priority.
Mr. Rainieri was honored by Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA) President Nicola Madden-Greig during last week’s WTTC Sustainability & Investment Summit in San Juan for his pioneering work and leadership.
Revered for his trailblazing work to embed the priorities of sustainability into the development of the Caribbean’s most important economic driver, tourism, he underscores that sustainable tourism is a moral imperative for protecting the environment and argues that it also makes good business sense.
CAST provides tourism enterprises with sustainability resources and best practices and works alongside CHTA committees to provide support for the advocacy of sustainable advances within the hotel and tourism sector of the Caribbean.
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Advertising - What’s the deal? | |
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As we’ve shared over the past few weeks, advertising is an important part of a successful marketing strategy, which should include public relations. Advertising can take many forms, including:
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TV or radio commercials
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Online ads on social media or websites
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Promotional videos that showcase what the client is offering and can be distributed to media or shown at events
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Flyers (print and digital)
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E-blasts sharing promotions (e.g., product discounts, flight deals, event tickets)
The goal of advertising is to generate sales, especially sales that can be traced directly to a specific ad, for example through a promo code, a unique telephone number or a signup sheet.
Examples
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Your client owns a vineyard. You are tasked with helping to generate awareness and increase sales for the newest wine release. Here are a few advertising options:
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Buy an ad in the magazine put out by the local liquor authority (which controls most of the stores that sell wine) so your client's product is highly visible to potential customers
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Offer a tour package that includes a free wine tasting and advertise the deal locally in high traffic areas (e.g., flyers in hotel lobbies or retail outlets)
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Create flyers with a unique discount code for online purchases and distribute them to every guest who visits the vineyard as they leave. These customers are in the palm of your hand. By giving them an incentive to buy more wine online at a later date, you can secure repeat business, and the code allows you to track how well this plan worked.
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Your client makes unique, handcrafted jewelry. To advertise their products to prospective customers, you might take out an ad, using one of the following options, ensuring you invest in high-quality photography to showcase the jewelry at its best. By including a unique discount code with each ad, you will be able to track which ads generate the most sales and use that data to inform future campaigns.
- An in-flight magazine
- A bridal magazine
- The lifestyle section of a newspaper popular among affluent readers
- The website of a financial institution, wealth management firm or high-end retail shop
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Sustainability has become more than a buzzword. MPE’s Caribbean Report caught up with cruise industry veteran Arnold Donald, who is not only President and CEO of Carnival Corporation but also serves as Chair of the World Travel & Tourism Council. He shares why sustainability is good for the planet and good for business. | | | | |
