A high-level delegation from Jamaica, headed by Kamina Johnson Smith, minister of foreign affairs and trade, has meet with Dubai-based Emirates, with a view to boosting cooperation.

She was greeted at Dubai International Airport by Emirates chairman, sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum.

Also on hand were Edmund Bartlett, minister of tourism for Jamaica, and Donovan White, director of tourism with the Jamaica Tourist Board.

Ambassador Alison Stone Roofe, under-secretary for multilateral affairs, and JAMPRO president, Diane Edwards, completed the group.

The meeting was part of a wider effort to position Jamaica as the major aviation hub connecting the Middle East to the Caribbean and South American region.

Bartlett explained: “The objective was to follow-up on our first meeting, which was very positive, and to get a second response at the level of chairman to enable Jamaica to determine the possibility of a very early connectivity.

“We were able to provide very solid data, which indicated that Jamaica had a presence in the Middle East.”

He added: “That was quite significant and was strong enough to create a marketing arrangement that would allow for travel into the island, but more so that we would have abilities to move traffic from Jamaica into the rest of the region.”

Minister Bartlett also indicated that the Jamaican delegation also had follow-up discussions with officials from Royal Jordanian Airlines.

“We had a further meeting with representatives from the Royal Jordanian Airlines in Amman, which was our second meeting, following the one we had with the chairman and his team.”