Jamaica’s Director of Tourism discusses technology advancements without losing sight of the human connection
KINGSTON, Jamaica – On Wednesday (Nov. 14) night, the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) hosted ‘The Digital Journey of Destination Jamaica’ to celebrate the island’s digital transformation and the valuable investments in technology.
Through technology, travel and tourism is ripe for disruption that touches every phase of the visitor experience, from arranging plans to discovering new destinations with a local perspective.
VisitJamaica.com is Destination Jamaica’s portal where consumers can get information and inspiration to enhance every step of their experience, and ensure tourism success in the future.
“The key drivers of digital transformation are profitability, visitor satisfaction, and increased speed-to-market,” said Donovan White, Jamaica’s Director of Tourism. “As a destination, we want to ensure that the visitor has a memorable experience throughout their journey – from the dream phase to the advocacy phase. Tonight is the start of an incredible journey. The VisitJamaica.com portal will become the single call-to-action of all our activities on the island.”
Features of the new portal include advancements such as: augmented reality (AR), to help potential visitors envision themselves in the destination through several experiences; artificial intelligence (AI), to analyze customer searches and tailor results; biometrics, to develop an online pre-clearance facility and eventually installing kiosks at the airport to ease congestion; a mobile app, where users will be able to receive itineraries, flight notifications and boarding passes, communicate with customer service, and connect and interact on social media platforms directly; and lastly, island-wide Wi-Fi connectivity, for visitors to share their experiences in real time.
While Jamaica is continuing to make significant advancements in technology, the island’s most important mechanism of growth is the investment in human capital as tourism is about the meaningful human interactions that bring visitors back again.
“To be successful, we need to create a balance between the technological innovations and the human element. Improving the visitor experience must always be on the forefront of our minds when investing in technology, but it must be done without losing sight of the human connection,” Director White added. “We have the best experiences, the best culture and the best delivery system for all this – our people. The commitment to service excellence considerably contributes to Jamaica’s appeal as a premier tourist destination.”
