Sandals Resorts International (SRI) recently welcomed nearly 1,000 attendees to its Jamaica Love Showcase, where Dr. Andrew Holness, prime minister of Jamaica, announced that new airports, roadways and other infrastructure will better connect the island for visitors. The Jamaica Love Showcase was part of a week-long Sandals Jamaica Love Tour 2024, held October 14-20, and immersed travel advisors and partners into the island’s beauty, with an itinerary that included Sandals Resorts and Beaches Resorts tours, Island Routes excursions, Sandals Foundation activities and exclusive networking events.
The Jamaica Love Showcase welcomed hospitality executives, international media and more than 700 travel advisors to the Montego Bay Convention Center on October 16. A vendor market of local artisans, music by the Silver Birds steel drum orchestra and culinary displays reflecting signature dining experiences from across the resort portfolio set the tone for the Jamaica-centric event. Speakers included Prime Minister Holness, U.S. Ambassador to Jamaica N. Nick Perry and Jamaica Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett. Strategic partners, including executives from American Airlines, Air Canada Vacations, Travel Leaders, the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA), the American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) and the Association of Canadian Travel Agencies (ACTA), also addressed the audience with insights and the path forward for the destination. Adding to the lineup of speakers, two leadership panels highlighted innovations in hospitality, sustainability, team member engagement and more.
“Jamaica’s tourism is everybody’s business, an intertwined ecosystem that brings farmers and taxicab drivers, travel advisors and prime ministers, fishers and pilots together as one,” said Sandals Resorts Executive Chairman Adam Stewart, who also serves as an Ambassador/Special Investment Envoy for Tourism for Jamaica. “The story of Sandals is the story of Jamaica… to always, together, work toward better. That is at the heart of our superbrand and forged in our homegrown values of hard work, exceeding expectations and trust in those who lift you up, who believe in you. That is the lasting legacy of my father, the late Gordon “Butch” Stewart, who taught me to cherish relationships with those who care as much as you do, who share your dreams of better and who will complement your gifts with their own."
One of the key themes woven throughout the conference was aligning perception with reality when it comes to the success of Jamaica and the safety of visitors in Jamaica.
During his address, Hon. Prime Minister Holness ensured that his administration is working hard to reinforce that Jamaica’s brand is a safe, secure, sustainable and seamless destination. Holness also announced the investment the destination is making in the island's infrastructure, most notably with a new international airport in Negril, a new terminal at Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, improvements to the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston and building new roads on the southeastern coast to better connect the island, which will create an entirely new dimension of tourism in Jamaica.
Since Sandals Montego Bay opened its doors in 1981, the brand has continued to invest in Jamaica, developing programs from the Sandals Corporate University to uplift and prepare rising hospitality talent to the Sandals Foundation, the brand’s philanthropic partner aimed at improving the lives of Caribbean communities where the brand operates.
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