Leonardo Blair, Enterprise Reporter 
Peterkin
LOCAL HOTELIERS and other tourism interests are planning to roll out more than just warm beds to some 20,000 cricket fans expected to share the island with Jamaica's regular crop of tourists during the ICC Cricket World Cup West Indies 2007.
Ahead of the biggest cricket event to be shared by the West Indies, Horace Peterkin, president of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) says his members are now thinking of ways to wine, dine and woo international cricket lovers with a spellbinding array of authentic Jamaica entertainment and culture.
"The Jamaican hoteliers are ready. We have fulfilled our obligations for room allotment for World Cup Cricket 2007. What we are looking at now are options to take advantage of," said Peterkin.
"Kingston (where the major matches will be played) and Montego Bay are looking at other opportunities apart from just selling rooms.
SPECIAL EVENTS
"They are looking at special events within the hotels and destinations. We have even started talks with the JCDC (Jamaica Cultural Development Commission) about ways in which we can involve the wider community such as the craft vendors, sort of like a jazz festival We are looking at some opportunities like that," he said.
While she could not yet divulge their plans, Nicola Madden of the Courtleigh Hotel and chairman of the Kingston chapter of the JHTA said Kingston hotels were ready. Of the Courtleigh, she explained: "We have been welcoming ICC visitors for the last six months and as the year goes by, we expect this to increase."
Marcia Erskine, public relations consultant for the 300-room Jamaica Pegasus Hotel said they were currently doing a lot of upgrading work ahead of the event. "It's a continuous upgrading of facilities. We have added a rooftop venue; the garden facilities which is a good place for receptions and the car park have been extended," she said. She further pointed out that upgrading work was also being carried out on the poolside, bedrooms and suites. They are also working hard to provide for the pot-pourri of palettes to come with the event.
Janice S. Allen, destination marketing manager at the Jamaica Tourist Board, said Kingston has a current room stock of 2,085 while Ocho Rios (which includes Runaway Bay) has 7,406. It is expected that by the end of 2006, the numbers in Ocho Rios will increase as both the Pinero and Iberostar resorts will come on stream. Apart from that, they will be selling Jamaica complete.
"Our focus (for the event) is Jamaica," said Allen. "So we continue to have discussions with the Local Organising Committee (LOC) of Jamaica Cricket 2007 to look at ways to ensure that Jamaica is promoted. We have been working together to develop programmes which will help to highlight Jamaica, the brand, so that we are visible leading up to the event and throughout the event. The main areas of discussion with the LOC are the reception and hosting of media expected to be in Jamaica," she said.
And the place will be crawling with international media. Approximately 300 of them along with the cricket teams, officials and government heads says, Pauline Nelson, corporate communications manager at Jamaica Cricket 2007. Everyone in this group will be based in Kingston.
"The teams, the officials, the media and sponsors will be based in Kingston. For the opening ceremony we are expecting up to 1,000 persons from this group. Closer to the semi-final this group might increase to 1,200. We are expecting a minimum of 300 international media persons to be based in Jamaica," she explains.
In the meantime, says Nelson: "Our campaign will begin after the settling of the PNP leadership race. It will begin mid-March and towards the end of March we will be sensitising the public."
The ICC Cricket World Cup West Indies 2007 will be held across nine host venues in the region in March and April next year.
