Jamaican getaway

When Christopher Columbus landed in Jamaica on May 4, 1494, he wrote in his log that it was "the fairest island that mine eyes have beheld; mountains and the land seem to touch the sky ... all full of valleys and fields and plains."

Today, of course, Jamaica is much more than that. Think beautiful beaches, reggae, coffee, rum, cricket, golf courses, resorts, James Bond, "Cool Runnings," and so on. Jamaica is a wonderful getaway for anyone, no matter what your budget is.

While the bulk of Jamaica's in-bound tourism comes from North America, Japan is also a growing market. The annual number of Japanese visitors stands at around 4,500, and while that is down from the peak of 20,000 in the early 1990s, the Jamaican Tourist Board and its travel partners are making efforts to bring more Japanese to the islands.

David Shields, deputy director of tourism and marketing for the Jamaican Tourist Board, has already made two trips to Japan in the past eight months. The tourist board works through Marketing Garden Ltd in Japan to increase Japanese consumers' awareness of what the Caribbean country has to offer.

Born in Jamaica, Shields has a degree in management studies and a master's in accounting. Prior to joining the Tourist Board, he worked with KFC, Tia Maria, and the Cayman Islands as assistant director for tourism for five years. He took on his current position in January of 2004.

Japan Today editor Chris Betros catches up with Shields during his recent visit to Japan at the offices of Marketing Garden.

Where do most tourists to Jamaica come from?

Each year we get over 2.5 million visitors. Of those, 70% come from the U.S., mainly the northeastern belt. The U.K. represents about 13%, Canada about 10%. We get a lot of Commonwealth visitors for cricket, of course, and with the staging of the cricket World Cup in 2007, we anticipate more.

What about from Japan?

Japan is a small but steady market. Our peak from Japan was about 10 years ago, when we used to get 20,000 visitors a year, but economic factors had an effect. Today we are seeing 4,500 a year and there are sings of growth.

What is the fastest way to get to Jamaica from Japan?

It depends on the carrier. Dallas and Los Angeles are frequent stopover points. So are New York and Toronto with Air Canada.

How are you represented in Japan?

We don't have an office here. Marketing Garden has the energy and expertise to increase product knowledge among Japanese and they give us solid representation here. Japan is the only Asian country where we have such representation.

What is the purpose of your visit?

I am here to have meetings with our representatives, to look at where the business is for this year and make plans for the next couple of years. I meet with key airline and tour operator partners to hear their issues and see how we can grow the business.

I understand you also visited China on this trip?

Yes, I went there first for a travel and tourism market. Jamaica has been awarded approved destination status by the Chinese government.

Consumers have many choices when it comes to holidays. What is the image of Jamaica that you are selling to them?

It is a destination that is rich in opportunities for excitement, cultural expression and also a place where you can lay back and do nothing. Jamaica offers diversity like no other Caribbean destination. For Japan, we are positioning Jamaica as a very upscale, high-end brand that has a lot of premium value with five-star properties like Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon and Sans Souci. One of the best ways of selling this image is to bring travel and media partners to Jamaica and experience it.

What trends do you see among Japanese tourists?

Young Japanese come for reggae, but we also see older and more sophisticated affluent Japanese, the empty nesters.

When you travel abroad, do you find that people you meet have preconceived ideas about Jamaica?

Sure, everywhere. We did a survey recently to determine what resonates when I mention Jamaica and the most common answers were music, sports and Merlene Ottey. We hear coffee, Jimmy Cliff, movies like "Cool Runnings" and James Bond. One agency in Jamaica now has a mandate to work with Hollywood. Also, a U.S. reality show recently featured Jamaica. Movies and TV shows add a great deal of public awareness.

Source: japantoday.com