Bartlett

Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett says the remarkable performances of Jamaica's athletes at the World Championships in Berlin, Germany, has opened even more doors for the country's leisure industry.

"We have a number of key initiatives that will involve sports and tourism working in a more coordinated way. When I get back, I will speak in more detail," Bartlett told The Gleaner yesterday from Italy, where he is on vacation.

13 medals

Jamaica, led by the superlative sprinter Usain Bolt, won 13 medals at the August 15-23 World Championships, a haul bettered only by the United States which finished with 22 medals.

One year ago, the country's athletes were also the toast of the Olympic Games in Beijing, China, where Bolt captured the 100 and 200 metres in world-record times.

Bartlett said the tourism ministry and organisers of the World Championships went all out to capitalise on Bolt and the team's appeal by installing booths promoting Jamaican products at the Alexanderplatz in Berlin.

Puma activities

Bolt's main sponsor, German sports manufacturer Puma, also staged several activities with the ministry, including a sprint race that saw the victor winning a weekend for two in Jamaica.

Bartlett said he and Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) Chairman John Lynch, who accompanied him, met with German travel agents, including the influential TUI Travel and discussed strategies to attract more Germans to Jamaica.

Germany is Jamaica's second-strongest tourism market in Europe behind Britain. Figures from the JTB showed a four per cent jump in arrivals from that country to Jamaica in 2008.

Last August, a high-profile sports and tourism delegation travelled to Beijing with the Olympians. Bartlett and Sports Minister Olivia 'Babsy' Grange said the spin-offs from Jamaica's amazing showing in China would be enormous but not much has been heard of the proposed projects since.

Bartlett said they are coming on stream.

"China has developed a stronger infrastructure for tourism traffic to Jamaica and several travel agents and business interests from China have visited Jamaica in the last seven months. So, things are coming together," he said.