JAPEX returns to Ocho Rios as Jamaica deepens ties with Canadian market
September 14, 2026
Jamaica’s premier tourism marketplace has returned to Ocho Rios for the first time in more than a decade, bringing international buyers face-to-face with the hoteliers, attraction operators, transportation providers and entrepreneurs whose livelihoods depend on the island’s largest industry.
The 36th Jamaica Product Exchange, better known as JAPEX, is being held at Moon Palace Jamaica from September 14 to 17. Organized by the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) in partnership with the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), the event connects Jamaican tourism suppliers with tour operators, travel advisors, airlines and other industry partners who help influence the travel decisions of millions of people.
In an industry built on relationships, these meetings can influence which Jamaican hotels are included in vacation packages, which attractions are promoted, where airlines increase capacity and how the destination is marketed to travellers in Canada and other international markets.
“JAPEX is not a showcase of speeches alone,” said Jamaica’s Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett. “It is a marketplace of opportunity. Jamaica is open and Jamaica is ready to welcome more tourism opportunities.”
Jamaica’s Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
The significance of JAPEX, however, extends well beyond the delegates meeting inside the resort.
Agreements reached at JAPEX can help fill hotel rooms, attract more visitors to local attractions and generate business for restaurants, transportation providers, farmers, manufacturers, entertainers, artisans and community-based tourism enterprises.
JHTA President O’Brian Heron said JAPEX has become an influential business-to-business marketplace, connecting those who sell Jamaica’s tourism products with the international partners who promote the destination around the world.
“That is the real significance of JAPEX,” he said. “It is not simply a trade show. It is a platform for economic development, with the ability to create opportunities across the entire tourism value chain.”
JHTA President O’Brian Heron (Photo contributed)
Since its launch in 1990, JAPEX has enabled smaller Jamaican tourism businesses to compete alongside the country’s more established companies.
Independent attractions, boutique hotels and local experience providers may lack the resources to attend multiple international trade shows. By bringing qualified buyers to Jamaica, JAPEX gives these businesses direct access to key decision-makers and an opportunity to promote their products.
Heron said the success of Jamaica’s tourism industry should therefore be measured by more than the number of visitors arriving on the island.
“Our ambition should be to generate greater value from tourism: higher visitor spending, stronger linkages with Jamaican businesses, increased investment and more meaningful opportunities for our people,” he added.
That emphasis is particularly important as Jamaica advances Tourism 3.0, a strategy aimed at expanding tourism’s contribution to the wider economy by strengthening connections with agriculture, manufacturing, transportation, culture, technology and community enterprises. The framework also seeks to ensure that more of the value generated by tourism benefits Jamaican workers, businesses and communities.
Hosting JAPEX in Ocho Rios supports that objective by focusing the international travel trade’s attention on one of Jamaica’s leading resort regions.
Located on the north coast, Ocho Rios has grown from a small fishing community into a major tourism centre. Its combination of large resorts, cruise facilities, restaurants, shopping, gardens and adventure attractions gives delegates a close-up look at the variety of experiences Jamaica offers.
Dunn’s River Falls, Mystic Mountain, Dolphin Cove, Konoko Falls, the Blue Hole and activities along the White River are among the attractions in the wider Ocho Rios area. The region also offers local dining, cultural experiences, smaller communities and a range of accommodation.
Accessibility is another advantage.
Ian Fleming International Airport, located at Boscobel in St. Mary, serves the Ocho Rios region. The North–South Highway has significantly improved access from Kingston, while the North Coast Highway connects the resort town with Montego Bay and Sangster International Airport.
JAPEX’s return to Ocho Rios since 2012 also allows buyers and media representatives to see how the destination has evolved, rather than relying solely on presentations and promotional materials.
Bartlett said the choice of the resort destination became especially meaningful following the impact of Hurricane Melissa on western and southern Jamaica last October. While the move was influenced by necessity, it has allowed the country to demonstrate the geographic breadth of its tourism product and its capacity to respond to disruption.
“Today, approximately 80 percent of our hotels island-wide have reopened, with the remaining properties expected to resume operations in the first quarter of 2027,” he said, describing the progress as ‘a powerful signal’ of confidence in Brand Jamaica.
The staging of JAPEX is consequently both a business event and a declaration that the tourism industry continues to operate, recover and pursue new opportunities.
“Even amid global uncertainty, shifting travel patterns and the challenges nature has placed before us, Jamaica’s tourism sector continues to do what it has always done which is adapt, innovate and grow,” Bartlett pointed out.
JAPEX is expected to attract buyers from Jamaica’s traditional markets, including Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom, as well as representatives from Europe, Latin America, India, Turkey, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.
While Jamaica is pursuing growth in emerging markets, Canada remains essential to the country’s tourism industry.
Canada has consistently ranked among Jamaica’s three largest sources of stopover visitors. Approximately 346,000 Canadians visited the island in 2025, accounting for 13.3 per cent of all stopover arrivals.
The total was lower than in 2024, largely because Hurricane Melissa disrupted air travel and reduced Jamaica’s available hotel inventory during the final months of the year. Despite the setback, tourism officials remain focused on attracting at least 500,000 Canadian visitors annually.
Jamaica also benefits from strong visitor loyalty, with about 42 percent of its visitors having travelled to the island before. This suggests that Jamaica’s appeal extends beyond that of an interchangeable warm-weather destination.
Angella Bennett, the JTB Regional Director for Canada, and her team have supported that growth by strengthening partnerships with airlines, travel advisors and tour operators, while promoting Jamaica’s expanding tourism offerings and its appeal beyond the traditional sun-and-sand vacation.
Air connections between the two countries are also expanding.
Porter Airlines will introduce seasonal service to Montego Bay from Toronto, Ottawa and Hamilton during the 2026–27 winter season, adding nearly 5,000 seats from the three cities combined. Air Canada will also offer seasonal nonstop flights to Montego Bay from Halifax, Edmonton and Winnipeg.
Climate is certainly part of Jamaica’s appeal to Canadians.
The island offers a convenient winter escape, with direct flights and all-inclusive vacation packages available from several Canadian cities.
However, the enduring connection between the two countries is also rooted in history, family ties, culture and a Jamaican diaspora that has introduced generations of Canadians to the island.
Those ties are especially strong in Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area, home to Canada’s largest concentration of people of Jamaican origin. Jamaican food, music, language and celebrations have become part of the country’s cultural landscape, giving the island a presence that extends well beyond conventional tourism advertising.
Philip Rose, the Jamaica Tourist Board’s Deputy Director of Tourism for the Americas, previously served as the agency’s regional director in Canada and understands the market from both commercial and cultural perspectives.
He emphasized the important role diaspora members can play as advocates and ambassadors when equipped with current information about Jamaica’s evolving tourism product. Rose said their support can help broaden the benefits of the industry by directing attention to the people and communities beyond the traditional resort areas.
Philip Rose (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
“I work for the corn soup vendor, the woman selling her handmade crafts outside, the bellman at the hotel and the farmer growing fruits and vegetables far removed from the traditional resort towns,” Rose pointed out. “Tourism 3.0 in Jamaica is designed to bring more people into the ecosystem so they can benefit from the industry. If tourism isn’t benefiting everyone, then we still have a lot more work to do.”
Although Jamaica remains internationally known for its beaches and all-inclusive resorts, JAPEX allows tourism officials and suppliers to introduce international buyers to the country’s gastronomy, music, heritage, wellness, adventure, sports and community-tourism experiences.
That diversification is increasingly relevant as the expectations of Canadian travellers evolve. Many visitors are looking for locally rooted experiences, smaller accommodations, meaningful cultural interaction and opportunities to explore beyond their resorts.
The Canadian travel market, however, is highly competitive. Jamaica competes with Mexico, Cuba, the Dominican Republic and other Caribbean destinations that offer competitive pricing and substantial airline capacity.
Maintaining Jamaica’s position therefore requires strong relationships with Canadian airlines, tour operators and travel advisors. The destination needs an adequate supply of reasonably priced airline seats, as well as travel professionals across Canada who understand its tourism product and can confidently recommend it to their clients.
JAPEX provides an environment for those conversations. Canadian tour operators can negotiate directly with Jamaican hotels, attractions and destination-management companies, while travel advisors can gain first-hand knowledge that helps them match clients with suitable experiences.
The benefits flow in both directions. Jamaican suppliers gain access to Canadian distribution networks, while Canadian companies receive updated information and opportunities to develop packages for families, couples, luxury travellers, members of the diaspora and visitors interested in culture and adventure.
Seasonal nonstop service to Jamaica has expanded beyond Toronto and Montreal to cities that include Ottawa, Hamilton, Halifax, Quebec City, Edmonton and Winnipeg. These gateways make Jamaica more accessible from different regions of Canada, reduce some travellers’ dependence on connections through Toronto and expose the island to new markets.
Despite Jamaica’s strong international recognition, JHTA President O’Brian Heron said the tourism industry cannot assume that past success will guarantee future growth.
“Competition among destinations has never been more intense,” he said. “We have to remain curious about what travellers want, bold enough to innovate, and disciplined enough to keep improving.”
JAPEX allows those changing expectations to be discussed directly. Buyers can tell Jamaican suppliers what their clients are seeking, while local businesses can introduce new products and explain what distinguishes them from competitors elsewhere in the region.
The event also provides an immediate economic boost to its host region. Delegates require accommodations, meals, transportation and entertainment, while organized tours introduce them to attractions and businesses they may later include in vacation packages.
The greater benefit, however, will be measured after the exhibition booths have been dismantled and delegates have left Ocho Rios. It will be reflected in new contracts, additional airline seats, expanded vacation packages and more visitors choosing to explore different parts of Jamaica.
Its success will also be measured by whether tourism creates greater opportunities for the Jamaicans who grow food, provide transportation, manufacture goods, produce entertainment and develop the experiences that give the island its distinctive identity.
Heron said resilience must involve preparing for future challenges, rather than simply restoring what existed before a crisis.
By bringing members of the international travel industry to Ocho Rios, JAPEX is presenting Jamaica as a destination that is ready to conduct business while reimagining how tourism contributes to national development.
For Canada, the event offers an opportunity to strengthen a tourism relationship supported by direct air access, longstanding commercial partnerships and deep connections between people.
For Jamaica, it is a chance to ensure that one of its most dependable markets continues to see the island not simply as a familiar winter escape, but as a diverse destination with new communities, stories and experiences to discover.
