| Prime
Minister P.J. Patterson has disclosed that Jamaica has
been granted “Approved Destination Status”
by China, the world’s seventh largest nation of
international tourism travellers. He said the development
was a major milestone that would open the entire Caribbean
region to a potentially new market and a valuable source
of new tourism revenue.
Mr.
Patterson was speaking on Sunday (Jan. 9) at the Opening
Ceremony for Caribbean Marketplace at the Half Moon
Hotel in Montego Bay.
He
said the growth and maturity of the industry in areas
such as educational and adventure tourism has brought
the region to the forefront of the global tourism
market. This the Prime Minister said was reflected
in the report of the World Travel and Tourism Council
which estimates that the region should have earned
US$40.3 Billion from economic activity directly related
to tourism in 2004. “This figure includes an
anticipated 2.4 million jobs created by tourism representing
15.5 per cent of total employment in the region,”
Mr. Patterson said.
The
Prime Minister pointed to a number of emerging opportunities
for marketing the region including the 2007 Cricket
World Cup which will be staged in the region. He said
that in planning for the future countries should seek
to build smartly and design structures that are not
only important for this event, but that will endure
for generations to come.
Mr.
Patterson cited the establishment of the Caribbean
Single Market and Economy as a big step for the region,
noting that it will serve among other things, as the
platform to launch a major advance of the tourism
industry throughout the region. He said Jamaica intends
to take advantage of this development by positioning
Montego Bay as a gateway to the Caribbean for the
rest of the world. |