Jamaica’s tourism targets Spanish promotion, investors

Spain is becoming an increasingly important place for Jamaica’s tourism. That’s how Paul E. Pennicook, the island nation’s tourism director-general put it in the wake of a recent visit to Madrid where he advertised his country’s leisure industry and signed a number of agreements with Spanish companies.

Mr. Pennicook said he’d like to see “a couple of European air carriers flying to Jamaica,” especially Iberia and Air France. However, he’ll be delighted to have the Spanish airline his government is currently negotiating with to eventually fly to Jamaica.

Jamaican tourism authorities are pining for welcoming as many as 8,000 Spanish sunbathers this year.

In this respect, Mr. Pennicook extolled the magnificent role played by Spanish tour operator Marsans for having “turned the non-Hispanic Caribbean is a coveted destination among Spaniards as soon as the company opened its Jamaica-bound charter flights back in 2001.

Mr. Pennicook added there are two Spanish hotel chains operating on the island: Piñeiro –with a schedule to build three hotels in the next three years- and Riu that has already built a hotel and has plans in the making for a second resort to e opened in May 2004. Negotiations are now underway with the Barceló Group.

The Spanish market –way over France right now- stands for 2 percent of the total amount of travelers going to Jamaica. Americans represent a walloping 73 percent of the yearly tally, followed by Canadians with 8 percent.