KINGSTON, JAMAICA – The top selling tour operators for Jamaica will gather in Montego Bay, the island’s tourist capital for the Blue Mountain Awards on Saturday, May 2, 2015. Jamaica’s Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller will be patron and a special guest at the black tie gala honoring top performing tour operators. This event is one of the activities to mark the 60th anniversary of the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB).
First given in 1983, the Blue Mountain Awards were created to honor those tour operators who generated the most business for Jamaica. They have been awarded on three other occasions, with the most recent being in 2005, when the Selection Committee recognized top operators from the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Italy and Germany as part of JTB’s golden anniversary.
The award committee is chaired by Paul Pennicook, Jamaica’s Director of Tourism and comprises members of the JTB and the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association. In his reflection on the 60th anniversary of the JTB, Director Pennicook had this to say, “As the JTB celebrates this important milestone, we are cognizant that there are a number of individuals, entities and organizations that have contributed to our success. The tour operators are a major part of that success as they sell travel on behalf of Jamaica. We remain a top destination in the region, because they help us to maintain our market share. I am therefore delighted to have this opportunity to honor and appreciate these partners, who help us share the Jamaican experience with the world.”
The criteria for winning this prestigious award is based on productivity and percentage increase in business. This will be determined by assessing total number of room nights booked for 2014; and the tour operators’ individual percentage change in revenue over the last two travel periods.
The invite-only weekend affair will begin with an evening reception on Friday, May 1. On Saturday, May 2, guests will play golf or enjoy spa treatments, than attend a black-tie award ceremony hosted by Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller later that evening at the Montego Bay Convention Centre.
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