The Editor, Sir:

I read with great disappointment the letter to the editor by Chris Dehring published on February 1 in The Sunday Gleaner entitled "JTB Misses Cricket Opportunity". I thought long and hard about responding to the gentleman who presided over a Cricket World Cup (CWC) exercise which cost the government and taxpayers approximately J$7 billion without much tangible 'legacy' benefits.

Having said that, I believe it is prudent to respond to the assertions made in the published letter. It is hoped that this will clear up the matter once and for all.

In anticipation of this test series and cricket in general, the JTB has been engaged in several activities to help promote and market Jamaica as a sports tourism destination.

These include:

Establishing a link with the Barmy Army (a loyal group of cricket fans who organise tours to follow the England cricket team on their overseas tours) to develop a series of promotional activities which will last beyond this current series.

Facilitating a meeting in 2008 which included Paul Campbell (of the Jamaica Cricket Association) and the Irish Cricket Association to discuss opportunities for promoting cricket.

Hosting a series of meetings in Belfast and Dublin where Ambassador Courtney Walsh visited schools and communities and embarked on a media campaign. Coverage achieved in Sunday Life, Belfast Telegraph, Good Morning Ulster, BBC Northern Ireland radio, BBC Northern Ireland TV, Ulster-TV, RTE1, Irish Daily Mail, News Talk and 106-108 FM.

Hosting a series of meetings in London where Ambassador Courtney Walsh appeared at a number of special events (Streetchance, World Travel Market), spoke to targeted audiences like tour operators and travel agents who sell cricket and sports related trips to Jamaica, and participated in a media campaign.

Coordinating a cover story with Ambassador Courtney Walsh in the Barmy Army magazine accompanied by an in-depth interview on Jamaican cricket which mentions the current test series.

In short, the JTB has been spending money and other resources to promote the island as a cricketing destination and to provide opportunities to achieve actual vacation sales. As a result of these efforts, we are expecting an increase in visitor arrivals for the current test match.

One of JTB's main objectives for event sponsorship is to generate positive media coverage for Destination Jamaica, whether live or packaged. For the 2009 Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival, 384 journalists were accredited, of which 196 represented international media houses. As a result, the destination has benefited from multiple broadcasts and visibility beyond the actual timing of the festival.

In every interview done to date we have stated that the average attendance per night at the 2008 Jazz and Blues Festival was approximately 10,000 patrons. We have also repeatedly stated that for 2008 the total number of visitors to the island attending the festival was between 5,000 and 6,700. The research conducted at this year's 2009 event indicates that 40 per cent of the respondents were from overseas. This was based on a random sample of 5, 866 over the three-day period.

PLANS FOR EVENTS TOURISM

The minister of tourism has indicated a focus on event tourism. In that regard, the following actions have already been taken:

1. The establishment of a senior post (deputy director of tourism) within the JTB which focuses on events, including sports;

2. A reconstitution of the marketing and event sub-committees of the Board to place greater emphasis on sports and events;

3. The addition of a new JTB board member with expertise in these areas, and specific responsibilities to bring focus to the market segments;

We are well advanced in the process of developing a position paper on the way forward, which includes input from various stakeholders. Several points from a paper done by Chris Dehring and submitted to the JTB have been incorporated into this position paper.

I would have hoped that my friend Chris would have continued using that route instead of submitting midstream a letter to the editor which is riddled with inaccuracies. After all, Chris and I have been in dialogue over the last several months on this very topic, and he has even agreed to host two representatives from the UK who are coming to attend meetings on the new policy framework.

I am, etc.,

ZACHARY HARDING

Deputy Director of Tourism

Jamaica Tourist Board