10 million to repair Jamaican tourism

KINGSTON – With Jamaica’s tourism status on life support after images of gun violence and mayhem were plastered across websites, newspapers and TV screens last month, the government is seeking to give it a jolt of energy with a multimillion-dollar marketing makeover.The Cabinet has approved US$10 million (JAM$880 million) for the tourism ministry to embark on a massive public-relations campaign to repair Brand Jamaica, which has haemorrhaged untold bookings since unrest rippled across the capital.Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett was due to leave the island yesterday to lead the marketing blitz, scheduled to kick-start in the Big Apple today. Industry representatives will seek to woo tour operators, travel agents, airline partners, the diaspora and travel writers back to the northern Caribbean island’s shores.The campaign, which will target principal markets in the United Kingdom, United States and Canada, would be funded by the Tourism Enhancement Fund, along with support from other industry stakeholders, Bartlett said.The Government will also utilise Facebook, Twitter and other social-networking sites. (Jamaica Gleaner)