Jamaica Tourist Board Reappointed

Just two weeks ago the entire Jamaica Tourist Board quit. All of them (you may recall a post cleverly titled, Entire Jamaica Tourist Board Quits). The group resignation was designed to give Edmund Bartlett, Jamaica's Minister of Tourism, free rein to appoint a new board that could better address the current global financial crisis.

At the time of the resignation, Bartlett told reporters that a new board would be selected and in place by Dec. 15, the beginning of the winter season. According to a recent Travel Weekly article, there's been a change of plans:

Jamaica Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett has reappointed most of the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) members who tendered their resignations en masse last month.

So apparently good tourist board members are hard to find. Or maybe they all promised to take macroeconomics courses if they could have their jobs back. Either way, one important appointment did take place.

John Lynch, who resigned as chairman of the board before being reappointed as chairman of the board, was named Director of Tourism. In his new and additional role, Lynch will handle the day-to-day operations of the JTB and be responsible for the island nation's global marketing efforts.

As a former VP for Unique Vacations (the worldwide representative for Sandals Resorts) Lynch is extremely qualified for the position. Expect to see big things from Jamaica, including gaudy, brightly-colored bungalows, large fruity cocktails, kitschy atmosphere and self-promotional swimming pools nationwide.

Entire Jamaica Tourist Board Quits

It's not often in today's 24-hour news cycle that a single headline reaches out and grabs your attention. We are so frequently bombarded with stories, blurbs and features that the real gems of the travel industry, and the world for that matter, often slip through the cracks. So, you can imagine my surprise when I saw this title, "Entire Jamaica Tourist Board Quits." I don't know about you, but to me, that sounds like a story worth reading.

Allegedly, the entire board turned in their resignations to Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett because, "A changing landscape demands a new architecture...We need to rebuild and redesign our structure to allow us not only to survive in these times of economic uncertainty but also to prosper and grow." Here's some food for thought... what does it say about the short-term future of international travel when the entire tourism board of the friendliest vacation spot on earth starts looking for new work pre-emptively? International travel's about to get a lot cheaper. And after enduring the upcoming holiday season with your family, a little sun, sand and fruity-umbrella-topped cocktails will be just what the doctor ordered.