WESTERN BUREAU – Large numbers of tourists, escaping the icy chill of the northern climes, have chosen to cavort in Jamaica’s warm blue waters and sun-kissed beaches, solidifying beliefs that the much hoped-for recovery appears to be finally underway.

With just under three weeks into the 2003/04 winter tourist season, hotel room occupancy levels are running at up to 90 per cent, tourist attractions are doing brisk business and in-bond stores indicate sales are looking good, industry figures reported.

“The season has started out very strongly. Arrivals in December is about 11 per cent over last year (2002) and 18.6 per cent over 2000,” Godfrey Dyer, president of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA), told the Sunday Observer.

Dyer, obviously upbeat as he reeled off the numbers, said the preliminary arrival figure of 95,000 visitors for December of 2000 – the year that the island recorded its best ever performance in tourism – which was bettered by the 102,000 for 2002, had both been surpassed by December just ended, with 113,300 visitors coming to the island.

“This December is our best December ever and indications are that it is going to go through for the rest of the season, based on bookings that hotels already have and reports we are getting from our tour operators as to the volume of reservations,” Dyer said. “All large (hotel) properties were in their nineties to full and a large number of small hotels were in their 90s to full as well. It is a very good feeling, knowing that Jamaica has come right in the mix of the things,” he added.

Official figures also indicate that in the first week of the winter season – December 15 to 21 – arrivals at the Sangster International Airport in the tourist resort city of Montego Bay had jumped by 36.8 per cent over 2000, the last big year before the devastating 9/11 terror attacks on the United States.

The figure was 56.1 per cent over 2001, the year of the terror attacks which threw world tourism into a steep nose-dive, and 27.6 per cent above the number for 2002.

At the Norman Manley International which serves the capital, arrival numbers were up 19.7 per cent over 2002; 14.1 per cent above 2001 and 51.1 per cent over 2002.

Checks with small hotel properties revealed that most had upwards of 60 per cent room occupancy. Vanna Taylor, head of the Jamaica Association of Villas and Apartments (JAVA), said that while January was expected to be a slow period for the members of her association, they too had done well in December.

“The Christmas period was quite good. For the two weeks, December 21 to January 3, we averaged out at about 80 per cent, which is traditional in villas and apartments,” Taylor said. “January still looks a bit slow for us but for February and March it looks good. So we are still hopeful that we will maintain at least 10 per cent over last year,” she added.

“For December, we finished the month somewhere about 57 per cent, which is five per cent over last year,” Daniel Grizzle, the manager and proprietor of the 49-room Charela Inn in Negril, told the Sunday Observer.

“So far our projections show a small increase over last year (January) and we are just sort of hoping for the best and that we don’t have any terrible incident to throw us off track,” Grizzle said.

At the 26-room Falcon Cottages, also in that resort town, assistant manager Ann Marie Williams said “we feel good”, as she reported occupancy level of 70 per cent in December.

“Coming out of December, our occupancy level is 70 per cent. What we are looking at for the rest of January is roughly 65 per cent,” Williams said.

Falcon Cottages’s image suffered a blow last September when a crime was committed there, shortly after they had refurbished the property at a cost of $1.5 million. Since then, security has been stepped up at the property.

And at the 18 year-old 25-room Paradise View Hotel, which has attracted mostly locals, there are similar reports of high occupancy levels.

“Over the holiday, we weren’t doing bad. We were running like about 85 per cent,” hotel representative, Opal Hylton, told the Sunday Observer. She added that the figure reflected a 30 per cent increase over last December and credited their recent marketing initiatives for the improvement. Included in that initiative is a ‘VIP’ certificate, which sees guests receiving a complementary night at the hotel after paying for two nights.

The hotel is also offering group packages, birthday certificates and accumulated discount arrangements.

For their part, the tourist attractions too have so far reaped the expected sweet of this winter season.

“Business has picked up significantly, not so much since the official commencement of the season, which was December 15, but since Christmas Day. All the hotels are now full and the attractions are benefitting,” said Johnny Gourzong, president of the Attractions Association of Jamaica (AAJ), which has a membership of over 60 attractions island-wide.

And like most other players in the industry, the AAJ head said that while the December period was traditionally stronger than other periods, he anticipated that the increased business would carry through for the rest of the season.

“What we are anticipating and looking forward to is that it will be consistent throughout the winter season and that there won’t be too many hills and valleys and that the curb will be an upward one,” he said.

Kumar Samtani, president of the Inbond Merchants Association of Jamaica, agreed with Gourzong.

“In the absence of any unforeseen circumstances, I think it should be a very good season. Based on the travel so far it looks promising. And from information coming from the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), it looks like it’s going to be an excellent season,” Samtani told the Sunday Observer.

Added the Inbond merchant: “So far, it (business) is looking good. We are hoping that it will continue. I hope it follows up with what the tourism expectations are – positive – because I think if we all stay positive, then everybody does well.”

And even as the JTB works to attract visitors to the island, Samtani said his association had been working to ensure that they (visitors) are aware of what it is merchants have on offer.

“Most of us have all our information on the website, which is very helpful in visitors knowing about us. Before they come to Jamaica, they know what is available,” he said. “At the same time, we do a lot of marketing and advertising with the hotels’ in-room magazines, Destination Jamaica. Also, we are in partnerships with International vendors to promote our products, as well as Jamaica,” Samtani added