Jamaica’s Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett says he is heartened by results of a new study by Bloom Consulting that shows Jamaica has entered the top 10 tourism country brands in the Americas for 2019-2020, moving up five places since the last assessment.
“I am very proud of the continued improved positioning of Jamaica’s tourism product globally and particularly the recent Bloom Consulting positioning, which has given Jamaica a premiere place in the Americas,” Bartlett said.
The Jamaica Ministry of Tourism said the top 10 ranked countries in the Americas, from first to 10th place, are the United States, Mexico, Canada, Brazil, Costa Rica, Peru, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Argentina and Jamaica.
The ministry also said Jamaica ranks 52nd out of 198 destinations.
Bloom Consulting, founded in 2003 by José Filipe Torres, is a consulting firm that specializes in nation branding and is currently represented in three countries – Spain, Portugal and Brazil.
The company said its work focuses mainly on nation branding and place branding projects, including research for tourism, foreign direct investment and public diplomacy, collaborating directly with the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) competitiveness program and the World Economic Forum in the matters of nation branding. ‘
Bloom Consulting said its ranking “not only measures perceptions and appeal of a tourism-specific country brand but also classifies its relative branding performance in a tangible and realistic manner.”
The Jamaica Tourism Ministry said Bloom Consulting’s algorithm for its ranking comprises four key variables, including the economic performance of a country’s tourism sector, its online performance, as well as digital measurements, “to present an accurate and objective brand ranking.”
“I am particularly pleased that we are included in this list for our economic performance,” Bartlett said. “I am extremely pleased that our earnings have grown exponentially; and whilst we make projections for US$5 billion over five years, we are seeing the kind of increases that makes us feel confident that we will achieve those targets.”
The study says that the Caribbean region experienced strong growth “despite being hit by violent hurricanes in the summer of 2017.”
It also says that “Jamaica must be congratulated for reaching a higher country brand strategy rating and being able to stabilize its tourism receipts thanks to prioritizing its country brand given the strong competition in the area.”
Bartlett said the positive ranking is a result of “the hard work being done by the Ministry of Tourism and other local stakeholders.”
“I want to use the opportunity to congratulate my team, the sector and the stakeholders who have all been working so hard,” he said. “Over the last three years, Jamaica has distinguished itself as a leader in so many areas.
“We have grown our arrivals against the background of our projections of our five-pillar strategy – which is to increase arrivals to 5 million in five years and earn $5 billion,” he added.
“I think that all of us as a nation need to feel justly proud that we have built an industry that is truly supportive of our economic goals and is a great contributor in job creation and inclusive growth,” Bartlett continued.
