Learn more about JAMAICA’s development boom and its newest luxury products. From now through November 12, Jamaica’s tourism partners will travel to major cities across the United States (schedule below) to provide travel associates with updates on the destination’s ongoing renovations and expansions, new products including luxury offerings as well as enhancement of meetings, incentives, conventions and events (MICE) facilities. See you at ITME and for more information visit www.visitjamaica.com.    

Areas of focus are:

Renovations
·       Many of the island’s hotels and attractions are in the midst of significant renovations and expansions.  More than 15,000 new rooms are coming on stream in Jamaica over the next five years. 
·       A current multi-billion dollar transformation at both international airports in Montego Bay and Kingston will bring the facilities to world-class standards.

New MICE facility
·       Construction of a convention center in Montego Bay, a joint venture between the Government of Jamaica and Ex-Im Bank of China.   The convention center will be built on 23 acres of land at Rose Hall and will provide approximately 215,278 square feet of rooms for meetings, exhibitions and other events.  The center is scheduled to open in December 2008.

Luxury Developments
·       The Palmyra Resort & Spa at Rose Hall, currently under construction, will be the first luxury beachfront condo hotel in Jamaica, offering one-, two- and three-bedroom condominiums and three-bedroom villas on 16-acres of pristine waterfront land.
Jamaica is refocusing on luxury developments.  One of the largest and most highly anticipated is the $2 billion dollar Harmony Cove Resort in Trelawny. 
·       Luxury residential development is one of the latest trends on the island.  Goldeneye, the seaside hideaway where British author Ian Fleming created the character of James Bond and wrote his thrilling spy novels, is adding luxury residences to its boutique resort. This luxury resort will extend over one hundred acres of coastal land. 
The schedule of cities for the Fall Destination Product Launch:

Midwest:
·       Louisville, KY - October 29
·       Columbus, OH - October 30
·       Cincinnati, OH - October 31
·       Green Bay, WI - November 1
·       Rockford, IL - November 5
·       Indianapolis, IN - November 6
·       Springfield, MO - November 8
·       Davenport, IA - November 12
Southern:
·       Orlando, FL - October 1
·       Tampa, FL - October 2
·       New Orleans, LA - October 4
West/ Southwest
·       Seattle, WA - September 24-25
·       Portland, OR, September 27-28
Northeast
·       Philadelphia, PA - October 8
·       Baltimore, MD - October 9
·       Long Island, NY - October 10
·       Boston, MA - October 11

“Jamaica is in the midst of a development surge, with a variety of new construction throughout the island’s main resort areas, as well as refurbishments to existing resorts and attractions,” said Basil Smith, Jamaica’s Director of Tourism.  “We are eager to share our latest product developments as well as our renewed focus on our luxury offerings, so that our partners may share with potential visitors our ever-growing variety of tourism options.”

About the Jamaica Tourist Board
The Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), founded in 1955, is Jamaica’s national tourism agency based in the capital city of Kingston.  The JTB was declared the Caribbean’s Leading Tourist and Convention Bureau by the World Travel Awards (WTA) for 2006, while Jamaica earned the WTA’s vote as the World’s Leading Cruise Destination, the Caribbean’s Leading Destination and the Caribbean’s Leading Cruise Destination.

JTB offices are located in Kingston, Montego Bay, Miami, Toronto and London.  Representative offices are located in Düsseldorf, Barcelona, Rome, Amsterdam and Tokyo. 

Details of upcoming special events, attractions and accommodations in Jamaica are posted on the Jamaica Tourist Board’s Web site at www.visitjamaica.com.