By Andrew Green, Staff Reporter
Pennicook
THE WAR in Iraq is having a major impact on hotel bookings, says Director of Tourism Paul Pennicook.
The local travel industry has shown a robust increase in visitor arrivals since the start of the year despite the war fears, Mr. Pennicook said in an interview with the Financial Gleaner. The impact of the conflict is showing up now with many potential vacationers undecided about their travel plans while the conflict rages.
"It has not had an immediate negative impact in terms of cancellations," he said of the conflict. "What we are seeing is a significant slowdown in call volume at the tour operators' offices and call centres. There is a slowdown in bookings for future travel."
There was a rebound in tourist arrivals last year, following a massive reduction in 2001. Tourism and Industry Minister, Aloun N'dombet Assamba, has said figures from the start of this winter tourist season have shown an overall 10 per cent increase in visitor arrivals over 2000, the top year for stop-over arrivals.
But at this point, forward bookings are down 30-40 per cent, relative to the same time last year, Mr. Pennicook said. This impact will be felt after Easter in May, June and possibly into July.
"That is not to suggest that we will be 30-40 per cent down in actual arrivals," he said. The expectation is that business should improve after the war ends.
"We should get some last minute business which would affect the numbers for the period being affected now," he said. "What we are hoping for is a quick turnaround in the market so we can get going again."
The view from the JTB is that the war will be over, "in a matter of weeks."
The JTB suspended television advertising on March 17, the same day United States president George Bush gave his the ultimatum to Saddam Hussein to leave Iraq. Print advertising was also suspended.
The preoccupation with the war would have blunted the effect of advertising, he said. Some other tourism destinations continued advertising, but research done for the JTB suggested that this would not be effective.
"We have an advertising agency monitoring the situation and evaluating daily because we recognise that when we come back on television we need to have a different message," he said. "We do want to be sensitive to the fact that America is at war and come up with a message which suits that."
The current advertisements will be 'tweaked" to fit in with the new mood in the United States, he said. Those changes are now being worked on for what remains Jamaica's biggest market.
The JTB is also keeping in contact with travel agents, reminding them that Jamaica is, "ready to welcome them," he said. "We are cautiously optimistic that when the mood changes it will be in our favour."
This is because safety concerns are likely to result in a slowdown in business going to Europe, South East Asia and the Middle East. He said there should also be an increase in visitors from Europe who are likely to cut travel to those other areas.
"We are planning to be back out there with our aggressive marketing programme to the consumer as soon as the situation allows," he said. "That will include going back on television."
To execute the advertising campaign, the Tourist Board expects to get a budget this year that is similar to the one granted last year, he said. "The JTB has been getting roughly the same budget for the last few years. I suspect, given the financial constraints that exist, that is about what we are going to get."
