The Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) has announced that it has revived the Blue Mountain Awards in honour of its 50th Anniversary. The Blue Mountain Awards recognise tourism partners, specifically the top producing tour operators, who send clients to Jamaica.  Created in 1983, the prestigious Blue Mountain Awards have been presented to winning operators in 1990 and 1995. Winners will be invited to Kingston, Jamaica to spend three days sampling the delights of Jamaica, which will help enhance their understanding of all that the country has to offer. Their stay will culminate with the Awards Ceremony that will take place in Kingston on October 29, 2005.

Fourteen Awards will be presented to the top producing operators. The Jamaica Tourist Board will also present Certificates of Honour to runners-up.

To enter the Awards, tour operators will be evaluated based on their seasonal performance over the last two periods:

Summer Season - May to December 2004 v May to December 2003

Winter Season - January to April 2005 v January to April 2004

The winners will be chosen based on their productivity and percentage increase in business.  UK tour operators can access application forms by visiting The Jamaica Tourist Board’s website - www.visitjamaica.com/forms/BMA_stat_uk. The closing date for entries is 16 September 2005.

Elizabeth Fox, Jamaica Tourist Board’s Regional Director UK/Northern Europe commented:

“We are delighted to be offering the Blue Mountain Awards in honour of tour operators who are responsible for sending their clients to Jamaica. Jamaica has become an extremely popular destination for the British market, due primarily to the diversity of the product, varied attractions and excellent airlift. It is thanks to the sterling efforts of the tour operators that Jamaica has seen a significant increase in traffic out of the UK, many of whom are repeat visitors. We hope to see many operators apply for this year’s Awards, as we’d really like to say a big thank to them for the efforts, and invite them to join us in sampling a little bit of Jamaican magic in October.”

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