The Jamaica Tourist Board last month rewarded 50 top-selling agents with a trip to the island that included accommodations at Iberostar Grand Rose Hall. The agents—all graduates of the “Jamaica Travel Specialist: A One Love Rewards Program” at Travel Agent University (tauniv.com or www.oneloverewards.com)—were treated to tours, fine dining, golf, shopping and more. The vacation concluded with an “All White Affair” gala in their honor.
“We wanted to take time out to recognize how important travel agents are to the success of tourism for Jamaica,” said Jamaica’s Director of Tourism John Lynch. Over 6,000 agents have graduated from the specialist program since its inception in February 2012. The next phase will be the Jamaica Travel Agent Specialist Store, set to launch next month, through which graduates will earn points, based on hotel rooms booked, redeemable for hotel stays, golf and spa offerings, jewelry, and much more.
“With our new travel agent specialist store, the JTB will be able to recognize highly motivated agents and reward them for their commitment to selling Jamaica vacations to their clients,” said Donnie Dawson, Jamaica’s Deputy Director of Tourism, Sales. “When other destinations gave up on retail destination agents, we didn’t. We never wavered in our support for the travel agent community. We plan to continue to encourage and support those passionate about Jamaica.”