Ensemble, Jamaica Launch New Luxury Partnership

Calling himself “a big baseball guy,” Ensemble president Michael Johnson used a quote from Yogi Berra to sum up his thoughts on the agency distribution network’s new luxury partnership with the Jamaica Tourist Board.

“You don’t have to swing hard to hit a home run — if you time your swing perfectly,” Johnson said during a VIP dinner event at the St. Regis in Toronto last night. “I think this campaign couldn’t be timed more perfectly.”

Donovan White, director of tourism at the Jamaica Tourist Board, explained that the new partnership will take Jamaica’s luxury tourism product to the next level.

“Together we will empower Ensemble travel advisors to sell Jamaica’s premium hotels, resorts, tours and attractions, helping them to deliver the very best VIP experiences to their clients,” White said, adding that Jamaica has long catered to celebrities and discerning upscale travellers. “As part of destination Jamaica’s comeback to luxurious campaign with Ensemble, the Jamaica Tourist Board will host a series of educational activities, curated FAM trips, and professional development opportunities for Ensemble’s North American travel advisor members.”

This fall and winter, Ensemble members will receive exclusive opportunities to learn about Jamaica’s unique luxury offerings as well as tangible tools to sell those experiences to their clients.

Although there are a number of affordable accommodation options available as well, Jamaica’s minister of tourism, Edmund Bartlett, pointed out that Jamaica has a long history of being a luxury destination.

“We do have luxury offerings of the highest quality and so we want to invite you now to come back to Jamaica, come back to luxury, that’s how we actually started,” Bartlett shared. “Even the early, early periods in the latter part of the 19th century, we were a luxury destination. Jamaica was known to be the playground for the rich and famous and most of the celebrated film stars in the United States of the mid-20th century —all, I mean all, you name them —  they came to Jamaica. I know that we are ready again for them.”

Partner representatives were also present from Round Hill Hotel & Villas, Jamaica Inn, The Trident Hotel, The Tryall Club, and Chukka Caribbean Adventures to share insights into their luxury offerings for clients.

“We have been able to partner up to create two powerful industry leaders together and we’re creating a strategic partnership that is designed to spotlight Jamaica’s upscale and unique tourism offerings,” Bartlett added. “So as North America’s leading travel agent consortium, with members across Canada and the United States, Ensemble is an ideal strategic partner to launch Jamaica’s reimagined luxury tourism products.”