Omar Robinson, general manager of Sandals Royal Plantation in Ocho Rios, St Ann, welcoming travel advisors to a brunch at the resort in their honour on Global Travel Advisors Day. (Photos: Joseph Wellington)
It’s the people, it’s the culture, it’s the spirit of the island…
From Sunday to Thursday last week, Jamaicans in the tourist resort areas would have noticed the hundreds of travel agents — lately called travel advisors — trekking across the island and devouring its lush scenery, captivating culture, irresistible cuisine, as well as the traditional sun, sand and sea.
The highlight of the week was Global Travel Advisor Day – Wednesday, May 7 – when 400 of the agents were wined, dined and celebrated by Sandals Resorts International (SRI) on what is now a growing calendar event for travel advisors.
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Elsewhere in the Caribbean, another 200 travel advisors were being similarly pampered by Sandals in partnership with the 18,000-strong American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA), the largest in the United States.
While 108 million Americans travelled for tourism last year, the Caribbean received “an outsized share” of that number, ASTA top man Zane Kerby told a brunch marking the day at the Sandals Royal Plantation in the north coast resort town of Ocho Rios, St Ann.
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In Jamaica and the other territories of the Caribbean, what the population sees are the millions of tourists usually escaping the icy chill of the northern climes, to frolic in the tempting blue waters of the Caribbean sea and laze away on its alluring beaches.
But before they arrive, the travel advisors — like those here last week — are the ones doing the slogging work of persuading the visitors to choose one or more of the many Caribbean islands, promising them they’ll have the time of their lives. They usually do.
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Among the 400 flown into Jamaica from the US, Canada and Latin America to join local travel advisors, were seven who won membership in SRI’s rarified Chairman’s Royal Club (CRC) Diamond Elite, after achieving 500 or more bookings per year.
“I love Jamaica,” says Alicia Rampy, who has been a travel advisor for 23 years and a four-year member of the elite club, operating out of Twopineapples in Paradise from Fort Worth, Texas. She must have. Rampy has visited Jamaica over 50 times, bringing her family along, and adding that she never feels unsafe.
“By coming so often, I can sell the island more effectively. The people are my main draw. My clients love them. Jamaica is so unique. It’s the culture, the music, the food… You know you’re in Jamaica when you are here,” gushes Rampy who specialises in destination weddings.
Mandy Litterini, who co-owns Litterini Travel out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with husband Roger, has been a travel advisor for the past 10 years and is also a four-year member of the Chairman’s Club.
“The business is doing really well. This year will be the best year for revenue and we continue to head in the right direction,” says Litterini who can boast that she sends more tourists to Sandals than others over the years. “The Caribbean is very strong for us and the hospitality at Sandals is unmatched.”
For Natasha Taylor of Madhatter Adventures based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, “business is great” also. She has been a travel advisor for six years, selling Sandals for three years now and enjoying the coveted CRC designation for two.
“People want to travel and they want to travel outside the US more than inside,” she has found. “People want to experience the local culture, the cuisine and Sandals does a great job of making that possible. We love that Jamaica has great locations and they keep the families busy,” Taylor says.
Kerry Logan of Sunlover Travel out of Scottsdale, Arizona, ascended to CRC status in 2018, a year after entering the travel advisor field. Before that she worked with Sandals and now focuses on destination weddings.
“Jamaica is my number one seller. It’s the affordability, the ease of travel; they come for the music, the food, the liveliness. Jamaica has a vibe. Jamaica has been awesome for us,” Logan declares.
Nancy Finn is one of the first travel advisors to become a Chairman’s Royal Club Elite member, a year after the reward programme was introduced by Sandals. She has been a travel advisor for the past 22 years.
Though her sales have dipped, compared to last year, she has done well enough to retain her CRC status, selling destination weddings and honeymoons at the higher end of the market. She also enjoys the distinction of being one of the top 50 specialists on Jamaica for 15 years in a row.
“For us too it’s the people, the culture, the spirit of the island that does it for us at island Getaways,” adds Finn who operates out of Brookfield, Wisconsin.
Cheryl Hunstein’s Cruise Planners from New York attracts most of its business from social media, notably
Facebook. The five-year travel advisor, who has been a CRC member since 2022, used the COVID-19 slowdown to ramp up her promotion, travelling every month to sell the region.
“That worked out very well. The following year our business exploded. We only started selling Jamaica last year but it has won my heart. The people and their culture make us feel like home and our sales have grown. It’s easy to sell Jamaica,” Hunstein suggests.
From Honeymoon Always in Seattle, Washington, Dan Bagby, previously of 58 Stars, continues to soar, building on his six years as a travel advisor and two years as Chairman’s Club member.
“While bookings have dropped somewhat, we have been hanging in there and doubling down on our promotional and marketing efforts which continue to show good progress,” he disclosed.
“Jamaica has done well for us. We love the island. I come here for weeks at a time to soak up the experience right across the island. Of course, Sandals Dunn’s River is my favourite,” Bagby tells the
Jamaica Observer.
Welcoming the travel advisors to Jamaica were Gary Sadler, the firebrand executive vice-president for sales and industry affairs at Miami-based Unique Vacations, an affiliate of the worldwide representatives of Sandals and Beaches resorts; Phillip Rose, deputy director of tourism; and Omar Robinson, general manager of Sandals Royal Plantation.
Jamaican travel advisors Novlet Minott (left) of Nova Events and Travel and Rowena Minott of Unlimited Connections are tickled pink by Gary Sadler, executive vice-president of sales and industry affairs at Unique Vacations. (Photos: Joseph Wellington)
Mandy Litterini (Photo: Joseph Wellington)
Natasha Taylor (Joseph Wellington)
Kerry Logan (Joseph Wellington)
Nancy Finn (Joseph Wellington)
Cheryl Hunstein (Joseph Wellington)
Dan Bagby (Joseph Wellington)
