Harley-Davidson to Offer Tours in Ja
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2 HOSPITALITY JAMAICA | WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2015 ADVERTISEMENT Harley-Davidson to offer tours in Ja Claudia Gardner Hospitality Jamaica Writer NOTHER STEP has been made towards the diversification of Jamaica’s Atourism product offerings, as the iconic United States motorcycle company, Harley- Davidson, has selected the island as the place of choice to kick-start its tour operations in the Caribbean. CONTRIBUTED “We’re proud to be able to introduce the bike PHOTOS tour to Jamaica for the very first time. We’ve Harley- signed an exclusive deal with Harley-Davidson Davidson to grow the motorcycle tour business riders on a throughout the Caribbean, so we’re excited that we targeted Jamaica as the introductory market promotional for such an exciting venture,” chief operating tour in officer at Viking Productions, André Dixon, Ironshore, told Hospitality Jamaica. Montego Bay. “We’ve focused on offering Harley-Davidson riders a well-organised guided tour on the great open coastal highways that Jamaica now offers. Naturally, we’ll have designated off-road rest stops that will allow patrons to interact with Jamaica Tourist Board-authorised businesses and an occasional chat with the real-world vendors of Jamaica,” he added. Dixon said his entity has decided to focus on two “well-orchestrated tour destinations” – a three hour sunrise tour to Discovery Bay in the morning, and a five-hour sunset tour to Negril motorcycles directly from Harley-Davidson, and in the afternoon. Currently, all tours originate at a decades-long partnership began. With the the offices at Whitter Village in Ironshore, strategic value of motorcycles proven to the Montego Bay. military, the War Department relied heavily on A fleet of 10 Harley-Davidson motorcycles Harley-Davidson following the entry of the will be available for the tour – three Fat Boy United States into World War I. In fact, the first Lows, one Dyna Glide Wide, one Dyna Street American to enter Germany one day following Bob, two Dyna Fat Bobs, one XL1200C the signing of the armistice was riding a Harley- Sportster Custom, one Sportster 48 and one Davidson motorcycle. By the end of World War Sportster 883. He said all tours will be led by I, about one-half of all Harley-Davidson trained Team Jamaica-certified tour guides who motorcycles produced from early 1917 to the end were all carefully selected and who were pre- of the war had gone to the US military,” a screened and pre-qualified candidates. document titled Harley Davidson and the US “Both tours will offer a stop for lunch while Military, written by Archives manager, Bill patrons enjoy the ride around the country at a Jackson, notes. controlled pace in a group setting,” he As for fostering key linkages with other areas explained. “We’re going to offer participants an of the Jamaican economy, Dixon has no doubt opportunity to book tours only for a while. We that the tour will contribute immensely to this. want to understand the dynamics of safety and “Local hotels will have an opportunity to the capabilities of qualified motorcycle offer our tours as an alternative to seeing operators before we offer (individual) rental An indoor Harley-Davidson motorcycle safety orientation session. Jamaica in a personalised and dynamic way. The options. transportation sector will be able to boast about “All participants are required to attend a the fact that Jamaica has enhanced its offerings safety briefing at our facility in Whitter Village from the vehicles being $4.39 billion, according motorcycle is something that many riders look by adding genuine Harley-Davidson before beginning the tour. We discuss the entire to the company’s annual report. forward to,” Dixon said. motorcycles as an option. We want our tour to route, what to expect in terms of highway “Our competitive analysis studies and market Harley-Davidson was founded in 1903 by add value to the overall tourism product in conditions, the importance of adhering to surveys revealed that a large number of Harley- William S. Harley and brothers Arthur and Jamaica. We know that getting tourists to ride defensive driving techniques in Jamaica and the Davdison owners and bike riders in general seek Walter Davidson in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. our motorcycles as a part of a tour will offer importance of obeying the directions of our tour options for riding motorcycles during their Historically, the company, had a longstanding them an opportunity to uniquely connect with guides. We also provide a lead car that reports vacation. We definitely know that the market association with the US military. According to the natural environment of Jamaica and the on road conditions ahead of the tour as an for riders is huge, based on brand value and the historical records, their motorcycles were first local residents,” he said. added safety precaution,” he said. feedback and inquiries that we’ve received from used by the US military in 1916, during a The first Harley-Davidson store was opened He said the market for motorcycle tours is affiliated motorcycle clubs around the world. conflict with Mexican revolutionary, Pancho in Jamaica in November 2006 by owners lucrative, as many Harley-Davidson motorcycle Harley-Davidson controls more than 50 per Villa. At the time, the army used Harley- Anders Vestergaard and Paul Zar. There are two owners visit the island and would like to cent of the motorcycle sales in the US market Davidson motorcycles with machine guns other stores in Negril and Ocho Rios. There are experience riding in Jamaica. In 2014, Harley and the loyalty among its riders is unparalleled mounted in the sidecars, along with their other now 16 locations in the Caribbean, including Davidson’s dealers sold 267,999 new when compared to other motorcycle brands. means of transport. Nassau and Freeport, Bahamas, Roatan, motorcycles worldwide with full year revenue The mystique of riding a Harley-Davidson “The War Department soon ordered a dozen Honduras, St Thomas and St Kitts. HOSPITALITY JAMAICA | WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2015 3 THE BUSINESS OF TOURISM The Thomas Cook saga A lesson for tourism business operators VACATION is about happiness and fulfilling Adreams. For this reason, tour operators, hotels, destinations, airlines, and service providers cultivate a positive image, a high reputation and encourage a feeling that they care. It means that when something goes wrong, it requires sensitive handling and an understanding that holidays are about more than a normal consumer transaction. For this reason, the behaviour of the tour operator Thomas Cook over David Jessop the deaths of two children on a holiday some years ago, is hard to justify. Thomas Cook had sold the bigger daily as the company failed on holiday. just about every count to respond in a In outline, two children, ages six humane manner, let alone suggest a and seven, were found dead in a business that wants to bring joy to its bungalow on the grounds of a hotel customers. in the Greek island of Corfu in 2006 Instead, Thomas Cook unilaterally and their two accompanying adults in announced that it would give one a coma. The children had been on a third of the compensation it had Thomas Cook holiday with their received to UNICEF, a charity not father and his partner, now wife, remotely linked to the children or when they all breathed in carbon their vacation, and without monoxide fumes from an unrepaired consulting the family about its wishes; faulty boiler. released, after strident media and In 2010, a Greek court found the political criticism, a video of it deaths of the two children were the present chief executive apologising result of unlawful action by hotel from behind a lectern, but declined to employees. Two Thomas Cook allow any broadcast interviews or to representatives were exonerated, and meet with the family; and told the the company reportedly received media it had sent a letter of apology £3.5m (US$5.35m) in compensation that the family had not even seen. To for loss of profits and other expenses. make matters worse, the individual The family, however, received around who until last November was the one tenth of that sum. company’s chief executive said that Subsequently, and much later, after she would donate around £3m to a formal inquest in the United charity following a backlash for a Kingdom in May 2015, a jury massive bonus she had received from returned a verdict of unlawful killing the company. in the case and concluded Thomas As a consequence, the family Cook had “breached its duty of care”. concerned is in despair, and days after By then, notwithstanding, the the coroner’s court ruling, there are pervasive sense of a big company calls for a consumer boycott, and thinking only about its commercial Thomas Cook continues to receive interests had taken root, and the highly critical media coverage with media had begun to focus on the damning leading articles in company’s failure to apologise, its newspapers that range from the legally advised decision not to answer Financial Times to Britain’s tabloid questions in the coroner’s court, and press. the inequity in the compensation Thomas Cook, a company that awarded to the family by the hotel, sells holidays and cruises to many after what for them had been an destinations including the Caribbean, expensive legal battle. ought to be seen as a company that Instead of the story then fading cares about people and puts its away with all concerned trying their customers first. Its failure to do so in best to have a dialogue about ways to this extraordinary case should be a mitigate the tragic loss and lesson for everyone in business in the reputational damage, the story grew tourism sector.