LAS VEGAS, Nevada — As part of our ongoing coverage of the 12th annual Luxury Travel Expo at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Travel Agent spoke with Jamaica director of tourism, John L. Lynch, and learned that the destinations saw a six percent spike in arrivals in November from the same month last year.
Lynch also noted that the new Montego Bay Convention Centre will be functional by the upcoming Caribbean Marketplace 2011, which will be held Jan. 16-18. Although there is still some work to do, including landscaping, Lynch is optimistic that the venue, which will be the largest of its kind in the Caribbean, will be ready to welcome industry representatives.
“Is it going to look like it was just finished? Sure, but it’s pretty much done and will be ready for the Caribbean Marketplace,” Lynch said.
The destination also continues to bolster its already robust number of flights from the U.S. with additional service from Baltimore via AirTran, which will add flights on both Saturday and Sunday. Those flights are expected to launch next week, Lynch said.
On a side note, the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) is reporting an increase in buyer registrations for Caribbean Marketplace 2011 versus the same time frame last year, including eight new wholesalers from Russia, Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom. Additionally, registrations from the U.K. have already surpassed last year's final U.K. numbers six weeks prior to the start of the conference. Visit www.visitjamaica.com.
Return to www.travelagentcentral.com and www.luxuryta.com for more from our ongoing coverage of Luxury Travel Expo.