Port Antonio, Jamaica: How to Promote a Little-Known Destination?

[Hotel Mocking Bird Hill]

Hotel Mocking Bird Hill is located in Port Antonio Jamaica, the most beautiful corner of the island with incredible beaches and wonderful natural attractions. Lots of outdoor activities like bird watching. The problem is Port Antonio, thought the birthplace of tourism in Jamaica, remains Jamaica's best kept secret so hardly any visitors (less than 5% of all visitors to Jamaica) come here and the destination languishes. How do we make the destination more well known? It may be cute being the best kept secret, but its bad for business.

[Patricia Borns]

You may want to coordinate with the Jamaica Tourist Board and its PR firm of record Ruder Finn, based in New York on this. JTB pays the firm to answer just this question. If Port Antonio isn't receiving a sufficient amount of PR, you may want to join forces with others in your parish to develop a campaign either through the JTB or independently.

Feel welcome to contact me directly if you need more assistance.

 

Patricia Borns

[e-mail]

[Hotel Mocking Bird Hill]

The problem is that the JTB is cash-strpped and therefore focuses on the big destinations (Ocho Rios, Montego Bay, Negril) where there is an higher ROI for them. This is why so little attention has been paid to Port Antonio. We have, in the past received grant funding for an independent campaign, but the small players in the destination were not able to sustain the campaign once the grant period was over.

[Northeast News]

Do you have a good press list of journalists you can email to generate buzz, especially with announcements that they can blog about without going there?

[Hotel Mocking Bird Hill]

We are members of Media Kitty and try and use this medium to get the word out.

[Hal Peat]

Hi - tis I!  Still writing and planning to write more on Port Antonio myself after that wonderful visit there last November, but ran into some of this issue myself that you've brought up.  I was looking at the rates to travel from MJB to Port Antonio - and some were astronomical, the cheapest was $25 that I found online on Fodor's.  I think this points to a core issue - accessibility that's reasonably priced and doesn't take 5 hours.  Why oh why is no one flying into the newly renamed Fleming "International" Airport (aka Boscobel) with scheduled shuttle service?  Not economical or enough demand?  Why no shuttle van service from some kind of independent operator - somewhat like the "Supershuttle" company that exists here in various U.S. cities - to pick up people flying into either MJB or Kingston and drop them off at various hotels and into Port Antonio destinations?  This would definitely be feasible - I sense a problem there with innovation in the ground transport as well as the air links, or at least the hand of bureaucracy holding things back.  I thought the indepedent campaign just for Port Antonio that you had over a decade ago was excellent - to this day I still source the press kit and images.  This too needs to find a way to happen for you again...In the meanwhile, thoughts and well wishes to Port Antonio and yourselves at Mocking Bird Hill. 

[Hotel Mocking Bird Hill]

Thanks Hal,

so far Boscobel is for a few high flyers aka persons in private jets. Fully insured and licensed ground transport remains somewhat expensive (other islands are way more expensive) as the transportation operators have to spend huge amounts on public liability insurance and licenses. Also, the cost of parts etc to keep their vehicles up to the required standards is very expensive in Jamaica. Its a nice 4 hour ride now with the road completed from Negril to Port Antonio. We find that people who really want to come here don't too mind the transportation issue. The thing is not enough people are aware of the destination and what it has to offer and end up always going to the well promoted main tourist areas. There is the Knutsford Express which goes as far as Ocho Rios which can help to lessen the cost. Until numbers of persons interested to come this way start moving up no one is willing to invest in either air or ground shuttle services -the old chicken and egg thing!

[Hal Peat]

Hi again - I do understand about the whole chicken and egg dilemma in your part of the world.  I have one or two suggestions that I'll get in touch with you by email about. 

 

[Hotel Mocking Bird Hill]

look forward to that