THE JAMAICA Tourist Board's (JTB) German Office won first place in a secret call-around test among Caribbean tourist boards conducted by FVW International, one of the most prestigious and widely-read travel magazines in Germany.
The article was "Comparison Between Caribbean Tourist Offices" and the question posed was, "We want to get married in the next couple of months and would like to spend our honeymoon in January in the Caribbean. Could you please send us some information?"
It is reported that the JTB employee who answered the telephone immediately gave information without being prompted suggesting:
that the wedding could also be arranged in Jamaica privately or through hotels such as Sandals, SuperClubs or Couples.
Describing the countryside, the atmosphere, the hotels and the beaches in Jamaica; especially highlighting the various vacation towns such as Negril, Port Antonio, Montego Bay and Ocho Rios.
She gave personal safety tips.
Recommended also the use of a tour operator to book to save on costs.
The information/material requested and suggested were sent as promised promptly and received the following day.
The journalist also noted with pleasure that the material sent included the printed "Jamaica Tour Operator List" and a list of "Jamaica Travel Experts" - agents who, participated in the programme and now "qualified" Jamaica Specialists.
The test criteria were based on how friendly and helpful the representative on the phone was; quality of information given; how professionally the information was passed on; professional quality of the material sent; and the speed in sending information. JTB scored high for each criterion.
Second place went to The Bahamas, third place to Puerto Rico while the Dutch Caribbean placed fourth.
