All the Latest News for UK Travel Agents Cots: THE BIG NEWS EVENTS JAMAICA WHAT’S NEW Isnd Vibes REWARDING YOU The Big NEWS INCREASED FLIGHTS TO JAMAICA FROM MARLEY TO GO LIVE! Appleton Rum THE UK A three-LP vinyl edition of Bob Marley and The Wailers’ epic 1975 Rum company J Wray & Nephew who produces Jamaica’s finest British Airways and Thomson Airways have announced additional “Live!” album was released December 16 through the Marley family Appleton Rum will be investing US$7.2-million to renovate and flights to Jamaica. Thomson’s additional flights will include a and Universal Music. The vinyl will include unreleased performances upgrade the Appleton Estate Visitor Centre. The company will third weekly flight from Manchester and a fourth from London of Trenchtown Rock, Burnin’ And Lootin’, Them Belly Full (But We also be looking at establishing a small-scale hotel as part of the Gatwick this winter. Thomson will also introduce service from Hungry) and Rebel Music (3 O’Clock Roadblock). A digital version was offerings at Appleton Estate. The upgrading work will include London Stansted in summer 2017. British Airways will add a also released on the same day, as well as a limited edition seven-inch renovation of the property and surrounding landscape, the fourth weekly flight from London Gatwick to Kingston in summer live vinyl with No Woman, No Cry backed with Natty Dread. The addition of modern rooms to facilitate the tasting of rum, an of 2017 (April to October). Flights will operate on Mondays, original “Live!” album was released by Island Records in December expansive retail store, and a restaurant and lounge offering Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. For more information, email 1975, five months after Marley and his band performed at the Lyceum “Appleton-infused” Jamaica cuisine. The centerpiece of the [email protected]. Theatre in London. For more information, visit: restaurant will be an “authentic” Jamaican jerk pit. Discussions are www.bobmarleyfoundation.org. also underway for the resumption of the tourist rail service “Appleton Express” from Montego Bay to Appleton Estate in St Elizabeth. For more information, visit: www.appletonrumtour.com. How to Rch Us Jamaica Tourist Board UK: 1 Prince Consort Road, London, SW7 2BZ Phone: +44 (0) 207 225 9090 Fax: +44 (0) 207 225 1020 Email: [email protected] Web: www.visitjamaica.com/UK Facebook: www.facebook.com/visitjamaicauk Twitter: @visitjamaicauk The Big NEWS TOP AGENTS CELEBRATED AT ALL WHITE AFFAIR The Jamaica Tourist Board recently rewarded its 50 top-selling Jamaica Travel Agent Specialists with a three night getaway that included tours, world-class dining, shopping and so much more. This trip concluded with a special “All White Affair” gala where the top selling agents were presented with artwork specially designed by noted Jamaican artist Everald Powell. Minister of Tourism, the Hon Edmund Bartlett, in bringing greetings, lauded the group for their significant contribution to the island’s tourist industry. Total Room Nights booked by the Top 50 agents was nearly 115,000, which earned the island in the region of US$25 million. The top five selling Agents awarded from the UK this year were: Massimo Corbo – Hotels of the Caribbean; Flloyd Walcott - Sackville Travel; Danny Anike – The Holiday Place; Maria Sabolova - Best At Travel and Rebecca Tomlinson – Thomson. World Largest Cruise Ship Docks at Falmouth Harmony of the Seas, the largest cruise ship in the world, recently docked at the Falmouth Cruise Shipping Port in Jamaica for the first time with over 8,000 passengers and crew. The ship, which forms a part of the Royal Caribbean fleet, is scheduled to berth at the Falmouth port twice monthly. The three largest cruise ships in the world - Harmony of the Seas, Oasis of the Seas, and Allure of the Seas, which are all owned by RCCL, will be making regular calls at the port during the winter. Jamaica has three of the finest ports in the region. The multipurpose Reynolds Pier in Ocho Rios is also slated for major upgrades to improve on the space available for ground transportation. Other plans in the upgrading process will include a waterfront promenade, which would take passengers from Reynolds Pier towards Ocho Rios town. For more information, visit www.portjam.com. What’s NEW Update on Jamaica’s tourism developments: NEGRIL MONTEGO BAY - Royalton Negril Resort & Spa and Hideaway at Royalton Negril Resort & Spa, a 600 room property - Hotel RIU Reggae a 454 room property opened November 2016. is currently under construction and is scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2017. The Hideaway at Royalton Negril Resort will be a 166-room adults-only resort adjacent to Royalton Negril. - Hotel Royalton Blue Waters a 225 room property located in Falmouth opened November 2016. - The Cliff Hotel reopened on the 1st October 2016 after the off-season break with a new yoga - Breathless Resort & Spa consisting of 150 rooms is under construction and is to be completed by pavilion and fitness centre. February 2017 - Spanish Court Hotel a 120 room property is scheduled to open for business in the summer of 2017. - Zoëtry Montego Bay Jamaica which features 49 suites opened in December 2016. The property focuses health, wellness and relaxation. - Royalton Decameron Cornwall Beach a 146 room property opened December 2016. All rooms have sea views and are decorated with a modern design with Caribbean accents. - Sandals Royal Caribbean in Montego Bay, Jamaica has changed the game of the all-inclusive concept in the Caribbean by introducing 5 innovate luxury “Over-the-Water Villas.” Construction is also underway for another 12 units. Royalton Negril Resort and Spa OCHO RIOS - Karisma Hotels and Resorts will break ground on their Sugar Cane project in 2017, a $900-million hotel project on over 200 acres of land in St Ann, near Ocho Rios. Three of the 10 hotels in the Sugar Cane project are expected to be completed in two years. Sandals Royal Caribbean What’s NEW KINGSTON Hardrock Café Now Opened in Montego Bay, Jamaica - The Renfrew is a five-star hotel which will offer 32 high-end rooms and eight two-bedroom Located at the former Seawind Beach Club, Hard Rock offers its collectors fashion, music-related apartments. The property is scheduled to open in October 2017. merchandise, live performances, and great food. The restaurant has the ability to seat up to 420 persons. For more information, visit www.hardrock.com Renfrew Hotel Nasa-Tested Astronaut Ride now available at Kool Runnings Adventure Park in Negril The Kool Runnings Adventure Park in Negril has vastly improved their product offering and will now be opened all year round. The park has 15 attractions including the newly introduced private cabanas, stand-up paddle boarding, improved play and dining facilities and a NASA-tested astronaut ride. The newly introduced ride is one of only five in the western hemisphere. It comprises a human gyroscope capable of spinning four people head over heels, thereby giving a feeling of weightlessness as if in outer space. For more information, visit: www.koolrunnings.com EVENTS ISSA BOYS & GIRLS CHAMPIONSHIP (28th March – 1st April 2017) Do you want to see who will be the next Usain Bolt? Attend the Inter-secondary School Sports Association (ISSA) Boys and Girls Championships in Kingston, Jamaica. From track to field events, spectators are always in for an intense line up; not to mention the exhilarating atmosphere of being a part of the audience. For more information, visit www.issasports.com Kingston City Run (10th – 12th March 2017) Kingston City Run is the perfect event to experience the vibe of Kingston, by running along its’ major businesses district passing attractions and entertainment sites along the way to the finish line. For more information, visit: www.kingstoncityrun.com EVENTS CARNIVAL OF SPEED (17th April 2017) Are you a fan of bikes, fast cars and formula ones? Then Dover Raceway in St. Ann, Jamaica is the venue to be? Watch the Carnival of Speed as racers compete for the grand title. For more information, visit www.jrdc.org MOBAY CITY RUN (7th MAY 2017) The annual staging of this Run will consist of a 5K Run/Walk and a 10k Run in Montego Bay. The aim of the Run is to provide funding and scholarships to needy students from western Jamaica to access tertiary education. For more information, visit www.mobaycityrun.com VINYL RECORDS COLLECTORS ASSOCIATION ‘SIT IN’ (26th – 29th May 2017) This event will bring together a captive audience of vinyl enthusiasts from across the diaspora for a weekend of exceptional musical family entertainment. For more information, visit: www.thevrca.com YOU CAN WIN A Love to Shop voucher. Simply submit an email with your name and agency details along with your favourite Jamaican expression (for example: Yeah Mon) to [email protected] by Friday, 24th February 2017. FACT BOX In 1988, Jamaica became the first tropical country to enter a Winter Olympic event. The movie, Cool Runnings, tells the story of Jamaica’s first appearance in to the Winter Olympics with a Bobsled Team. TEAM JAMAICA PON DI ROAD Ziggy spreading some Jamaican love on the streets of Stafford for the official launch of Thomson’s refitted store to a “HDS”. UK’s Top Agents and their partners at the UK’s Top Agents on the “White Affair” “White Affair” in Jamaica being hosted by experiencing Jamaica’s fine cuisine. Jamaica Tourist Board’s Donovan Donaldson. Shenika Bennett, Business Development Office spent the day with the Thomson team in Stafford Donovan Donaldson of Jamaica Tourist Board and Peter Grace representing Hyatt Ziva and for their official launch of a full refit of their store to “HDS.” Well Done Thomson, Stafford! Hyatt Zilara sharing a moment with agents at a Jamaica night event in Sheffield.