Edmund Bartlett, tourism minister for the island, believes that Jamaica is making great strides in transforming the destination into a smart one.
He added that the new portal will only add to those strides.
The minister was speaking recently at the Destination Jamaica Digital Launch at the ATL Showroom in Kingston.
In his remarks, minister Bartlett pointed to the importance of technology and the impact it has had on travel and tourism worldwide.
He noted that given the advances in connectivity and emergence of new business models, destinations must ensure they keep pace with the technological changes in order to remain competitive.
“What this means is that many new and emerging destinations are now aggressively competing with, and in some instances outcompeting for a share of the global tourism pie.
“We must adapt to these changing modalities and in most instances be able to anticipate further changes in the market so as to be flexible, efficient and competitive,” he said.
The minister had high praises for the Jamaica Tourist Board and its digital team on the completion of the new website which will serve to underpin the ministry’s 5x5x5 growth plan which aims to attract five million visitors by 2021; generate US$5 billion in tourism earnings, increase the total direct jobs to 125,000 and add 15,000 new hotel rooms.
The new website forms part of the JTB’s overall strategy to compete in the ever-changing global marketplace and is consistent with the tourism ministry’s focus to be part of the ‘smart world’, which increases reliance on information and communications technology to market destinations and offer greater personalization of products and services.
The new website opens a myriad of possibilities including the opportunity for booking which is key to Jamaica’s growth strategy and will allow the Jamaica Tourist Board to better understand its market and what potential visitors are looking for.