Canadians make it Jamaica again

For the eighth consecutive year, Jamaica recorded an increase in Canadian visitors in 2011, welcoming more than 378,000 Canadians. This figure is a jump of 16.5% over 2010 and a steady increase of 60% over three years (since 2008). In December of 2011 alone, Jamaica saw over 49,000 Canadian passenger arrivals, with the majority coming from Ontario and Quebec. Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Manitoba and Saskatchewan noted the largest increases in arrivals over 2010, reinforcing Jamaica’s appeal to all Canadians. “We are thrilled to report our eighth year of growth in Canadian visitors to Jamaica,”said Philip Rose, regional director, Canada for the Jamaica Tourist Board. “Our efforts to drive demand have been successful thanks to great partnerships with our airline, resort and attractions partners who continuously deliver great Jamaican experiences to visitors. It’s clear Canadians have cultivated a strong relationship with Jamaica which we will continue to foster.”The Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) also credits this continuous increase in visitors to Canadian agents. With this in mind, the JTB recently launched a travel agent specialist program, A One Love Rewards Program, through Questex Media’s Travel Agent University. The program serves as a dedicated training platform for agents to become experts on the destination while earning valuable rewards points as they complete the curriculum. Benefits range from a monthly award of $300 to the top-booking agent of 10 or more bookings, on-island VIP service for program members, VIP familiarization tours, and more. Agents can login to the step-by-step instructional web site at http://www.tauniv.com/jamaica .