Two advisors’ stories: Selling Jamaica with confidence after an in-person visit

How confident are travel advisors in selling their clients on the Covid-19 health and safety protocols touted by Caribbean resorts?

I asked two travel advisors this question. Both had recently returned from a fam trip for a select group of advisors from the southeastern U.S. hosted by the Jamaica Tourist Board to resorts and attractions in Ocho Rios and Montego Bay.

The five-day fam, Jan. 13 to 19, kicked off JTB’s fam trip calendar for the first quarter, which targeted top travel specialists from various markets in the U.S. and is one of many initiatives to help drive consumer confidence in travel to Jamaica during these ever-changing times. The agents were on the ground in Jamaica when the CDC announced the testing regulations for travelers entering or returning to the U.S.

Both Jenn Welsh, travel advisor with Trip and Sip in Raleigh, N.C., and Lauren Rubin, owner of All About Travel in Sandy Shores, a suburb of Atlanta, were standing in the lobby of the Moon Palace Jamaica with the rest of the group of travel advisors when they heard the news.

“The managing director Clifton Reader was explaining the resort’s protocols when we all first heard about the CDC’s new regulation,” Rubin said.

“He reassured us that the resort could handle the new testing requirement and then went on to explain all the protocols that were already in place,” she said.

The Covid-testing regulation took effect Feb. 26, several days after the fam trip ended, but since it would have an impact on future travel to the islands, it became a hot topic for all of the group.

“We reached out to our clients who were booked to return after Jan. 26 to let them know what was going on and to reassure them that the resorts they had booked had testing facilities,” Welsh said.

The fam group spent two nights at the Moon Palace and saw for themselves the resort’s adherence to the protocols.
“I never felt safer,” Rubin said. “The staff was cleaning all the time. The door to my room had a sticker on it, verifying that it had been cleaned 24 hours earlier and no one had been in the room since then.

“They gave us hand sanitizers, wipes and gloves,” Welsh said. “All paper products had been removed from the room. Staff and guests wore masks, and when we dined we all had masks on except when we ate. Tables were spaced apart, at the buffet we pointed to what we wanted and it was served to us.”

They found protocols to be similar in all the resorts they visited, including Couples Tower Isle and Sandals Royal Plantation in Ocho Rios, the new all-inclusive, adults-only Ocean Coral Spring in Trelawny and the Hyatt Ziva and Zilara in Montego Bay.

The last two nights were spent at the Iberostar Grand Rose Hall in Montego Bay. Welsh extended her stay and spent two nights at Sandals Royal Caribbean.

“I took a photo there of a sign I saw that read ‘Masks On, Worries Off.’ Sandals was busier than the other resorts I saw, more tourists, all from the U.S. and all were so excited to be there. For many it was their first trip since Covid,” she said.

Occupancies were very low at most of the resorts they visited, save for Sandals which was running in the 40% range, according to Welsh.

“Local Jamaicans were taking advantage of low rates and promotions at some of the resorts,” Rubin said.
Masks were mandatory at Mystic Mountain in Ocho Rios, even on the popular bobsled ride, and during their river rafting trip on the Martha Brae.

Welsh does a lot of wedding and honeymoon business and has several weddings booked this spring.
“I’ve had no cancellations so far. Lots of calls, mostly concerning the new testing regulation and questions about getting stuck if they test positive before returning to the U.S.,” Welsh said. “I explained the quarantine rules and what the different resorts have in place in case a guest has to quarantine before leaving the island.”

Rubin had already done some traveling during Covid. In 2020 she took her family to the Riviera Maya, to the Dominican Republic, the western U.S. and New York City.

“We followed all protocols. My kids got tested for each trip, and we felt safe at each destination and resort,” she said.
Welsh self-quarantined for a few days after returning from Jamaica and then got a Covid test just to be sure. She tested negative.

Both advisors gave the fam trip high marks. “Until I get my feet on the ground, I won’t know how safe the resort or destination really are. It was really valuable for me to be in Jamaica and see for myself,” Rubin said.

“I can certainly sell Jamaica with confidence,” she added.

Welsh agreed and said that the other six advisors on the trip felt the same way.

Tamara Christie, JTB business development officer who hosted the travel specialists, described them as “among our top producers in the Southeast who have done a great job in selling Jamaica. “The fam was designed to give them a firsthand experience of the destination’s safety protocols,” she said.

JTB’s next fam trip will bring another group of agents to the resort areas of Negril and Montego Bay March 29 to April 2.