Jamaica House 2016 Launched in Kingston with exciting schedule of activities planned

As the countdown continues to the single largest sporting event this Summer, the XXXI Olympiad, Jamaica House 2016 was launched in Kingston on Wednesday, July 13, 2016.

Among those attending the launch were Minister of Tourism The Hon. Edmund Bartlett, Minister of Culture, Entertainment, Gender and Sport, The Hon. Olivia Grange, and Deputy Director of Tourism Jason Hall, who has portfolio responsibility for the initiative.

Jamaica House, which will run from August 10 to 21 at The Jockey Club, South of Rio, will present an interactive experience for visitors, bringing Jamaican culture and flavours to the hot spot of Rio de Janiero. Jamaica House will operate daily from 2 pm to midnight with a host of activities scheduled throughout the day, including destination presentations to the travel trade, culinary exposés, dance classes, consumer promotions, VIP client hosting and viewing of the races as they happen.

Tourism Minister The Hon. Edmund Bartlett welcomes the hosting of Jamaica House and believes it aligns well with one of his pillars for growth, that of tapping into new markets. "As we continue to pursue an aggressive growth strategy, I am excited at the prospects that Jamaica House 2016 will afford us. It will provide us an opportunity to increase the number of tourist arrivals from Brazil as well as neighboring markets in South America," notes Bartlett.

Jamaica House will be located in one of Rio’s most photographed areas which has been captured on many postcards. This is expected to generate a buzz and excitement for Destination Jamaica over the twelve-day period.

"We are eager to be share our rich and diverse culture with potential visitors at Jamaica House 2016 this summer," said Paul Pennicook, Jamaica’s Director of Tourism. "We welcome the support of our many partners to help us showcase Jamaica and all that it has to offer, whether it is through our music, our cuisine, our culture or our sporting ambassadors. For those traveling to Rio, Jamaica House Rio is a must see."

Jamaica House is a concept that was developed initially around the London 2012 Olympic Games,

that sought to leverage the global focus on our athletes. Jamaica House promotes not only

Destination Jamaica and its world class tourism offerings, but also creates the environment for

business to business discussions with prospective investors.

Additionally, there are planned photographic and art exhibitions, as well as screenings for films and documentaries that focus on Jamaica. There will also be live music each night featuring artistes such as Kymani Marley, Luciano, Nature and I-Octane. They will all be backed by an all-star band.

Reggae Rocks Rio

To enhance Jamaica’s presence in Rio and bolster the efforts of Jamaica House, a comprehensive public relations program, Reggae Rocks Rio, has been planned. As part of this initiative, the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) hosted a 13-member media contingent from Latin America and UK/Europe who provided coverage of the Senior National Championships at the National Stadium. The JTB will also begin its Countdown to Rio series next week with daily facts and trivia on Facebook and Twitter.

To capitalize on the attention and excitement, a number of Olympic Watch Parties will be held in four US markets: Fort Lauderdale, Los Angeles, New York and Washington, D.C. and in Toronto, Canada. These will be held on Sunday, August 14; Wednesday, August 17 and Friday, August 19. To further amplify the activities, a social media contest Reggae Rocks Rio will be organized via Facebook

where good wishes will be collected from fans on Twitter and Instagram using a central hashtag.

Jamaica House Rio is shaping up to be quite exciting and seems on track to surpass the impressive results achieved. Joining the JTB as sponsors of Jamaica House 2016 are Digicel, Appleton,

Red Stripe and Sandals.

About Jamaica Tourist Board

The Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), founded in 1955, is Jamaica’s national tourism agency based in the capital city of Kingston. The JTB was declared the Caribbean’s Leading Tourist Board by the World Travel Awards (WTA) from 2006 to 2015. Also in 2015, Jamaica earned the WTA’s vote for the Caribbean’s Leading Destination and the Caribbean’s Leading Cruise Destination for the tenth consecutive year. Jamaica was named the top three island in the world by TripAdvisor® in 2016. Additionally, Ocho Rios was named the Caribbean’s Leading

Cruise Port; Sangster International Airport was voted the Caribbean’s Leading Airport; Club Mobay was named the Caribbean’s Leading Airport Lounge; Dolphin Cove was voted the Caribbean’s Leading Adventure Tourist Attraction; the Montego Bay Convention Center was named the Caribbean’s Leading Meeting & Conventions Center; and GO! Jamaica Travel was named the Caribbean’s Leading Tour Operator.

JTB offices are located in Kingston, Montego Bay, Miami, Toronto and London. Representative offices are located in Berlin, Barcelona, Rome, Amsterdam, Mumbai and Tokyo.

For details on upcoming special events, attractions and accommodations in Jamaica go to the JTB’s Web site at www.visitjamaica.com or call the Jamaica Tourist Board at 1-800-JAMAICA (1-800-526-2422). Follow the JTB on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/visitjamaica, on Twitter at www.twitter.com/visitjamaicanow, on Instagram atwww.instagram.com/visitjamaica, on Pinterest at www.pinterest.com/myjamaica, or on YouTube at www.youtube.com/myjamaicajtb. View the JTB blog at www.islandbuzzjamaica.com.

For more information, please contact:

Lyndon Taylor / Natalia Lopez

Finn Partners

212-715-1600

Lyndon.Taylor@FinnPartners.com / Natalia.Lopez@FinnPartners.com

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