Jamaica Product Exchange (JAPEX), the island’s premier tourism trade show, is scheduled to open today and the organisers are reporting that it will be the “the largest ever based on a record number of registrations”.

According to the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) and the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), the three-day event, which is being held virtually due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, has “a record number of registrations from a range of international and regional markets including the UK, USA, Canada, China, India, Russia, Spain, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, and Argentina”.

More than 2,000 buyer and supplier delegates, travel agents and media representatives will participate in the tourism industry market place.

“Typically, close to 800 international buyers including tour operators, travel agents, travel publications and media representatives in the hotel and attractions industry, gather in Jamaica to negotiate business deals with local operators of hotels and attractions and allied partners including airlines and ground transportation operators. This is the first time that registration has surpassed 1,000 participants, with several companies using the opportunity to have multiple team members participate,” the organisers said in a news release.

“It is a testament to the reputation for excellence earned by JAPEX over the past three decades, that despite the challenges of COVID-19, so many of our partners remain committed to this event,” the release quotes JHTA President Clifton Reader.

“We had scores of enquiries from all over the world, particularly from tour operators who have been selling packages to Jamaica for decades and would come to the island to see the new properties and absorb the energy that would help them woo and win visitors to Jamaica,” Reader added.

“Equally important, of course, we have a responsibility to help our members and the wider tourism industry to promote their products and services so that they can maintain their properties, pay their employees and contribute significantly to the Jamaican economy. Hence our decision to go virtual and we are pleased at the enthusiastic response from everyone,” Reader said.

Tourism Minister Ed Bartlett also expressed elation at the heavy participation, albeit virtual, registered for JAPEX 2020. He congratulated the JHTA and JTB “for having the fortitude to rise to the challenge instead of being daunted by the setbacks created by COVID-19”.

“JAPEX is important to the nation, important to the tourism industry and important to the many businesses which depend on tourism. Because of a united front we are seeing the return of some buoyancy in the Jamaican market and we are optimistic of a substantial increase in business for the approaching winter season. Jamaica’s tourism must get back on track,” Bartlett is reported as saying.

Nicola Madden Greig, a former JHTA president who is marshalling the event on behalf of the association, said that “while JAPEX 2020 has been shifted to a virtual event this year, due to COVID-19, it is expected to deliver as much value as any face-to-face encounter”.

She said that “like the previous JAPEX trade shows, this year’s event will be an interactive experience with hotel industry professionals, experts, speakers and solution-oriented partners. It is here that buyers, exhibitors, sponsors will come together to network, negotiate deals, get updates on the destination and share knowledge and forecasts on the tourism industry. The main difference is that instead of meeting face-to-face, everything will be virtual”.

Madden Greig explained that “there will be all the familiar elements including an exhibition hall of booths, a show floor configured as an interactive Google Maps by region, showcasing Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, Kingston, Portland, the south coast, and Negril. There will be break out sessions, training sessions and a one on one Zoom meeting platform will allow pre-scheduled meetings between travel partners”.

Remarking on the record number of participants this year, Madden Greig said, “JAPEX 2020 is built around a live agenda designed for the sharing of insights on the tourism industry and in particular, Destination Jamaica. With travel constraints due to current COVID-19 restrictions, closed borders and strictures on crowd gatherings, the virtual format has produced an expanded, more global audience with attendees poised to participate on various media whether by computer, iPad, smartphone, all of which enable access to the trade show from just about anywhere”.

JAPEX 2020 begins with a short welcome ceremony to be addressed by Bartlett and Reader at 9:00 am.