Tourism agency takes steps to assist travelers from the U.S.

Kingston, Jamaica--The Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) has unveiled a special Passport Renewal Reminder Card to be distributed to US visitors as they depart Jamaica. The card is being issued in an effort to assist travelers to comply with the new regulations in the U.S. Government’s Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. It requires all U.S. citizens and foreign nationals traveling to the U.S. to carry passports for entry or re-entry as of January 1, 2007.

The JTB designed the reminder card to be handed out to travelers at immigration checkpoints at the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay and Norman Manley Airport in Kingston upon their departure from Jamaica.

The front of the card features an image of a United States passport while the reverse side explains the new travel regulations and encourages visitors to begin their passport application process early.

A reproduction of the card as an animated image has been uploaded to the JTB homepage, which can be accessed by clicking on the travel advisory link at www.visitjamaica.com.

The JTB is also working very closely with its trade partners, such as tour operators and travel agents to encourage them to post similar reminders on their own websites, and to raise the awareness of the new initiative with their customers.

David Shields, the JTB’s Deputy Director of Tourism, felt that it was extremely important to remind visitors to Jamaica that they must acquire passports by the end of the year.

"Travelers from the U.S. make up the majority of our tourists throughout the year and the JTB wants to encourage potential visitors to plan ahead. As they begin to plan their vacation to Jamaica and the Caribbean they should apply early for passports to prevent last minute inconveniences."

The Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), founded in 1955, is Jamaica’s national tourism agency based in the capital city of Kingston.

The board is responsible for the worldwide tourism marketing and promotion for the island country of Jamaica.

For almost 50 years, the JTB’s mandate has been to promote Jamaica as a preferred travel destination, identify new and emerging consumer groups, cultivate new relationships with travel partners and disseminate timely and useful marketing information to its offices and travel partners worldwide.

JTB offices are located in Jamaica, Miami, Toronto and London.

Representative offices are located in Düsseldorf, Barcelona, Rome, Amsterdam and Tokyo.

Details of upcoming special events, attractions and accommodations in Jamaica are posted on the Jamaica Tourist Board’s website at www.visitjamaica.com.

To book a trip to Jamaica please contact a travel agent or call the Jamaica Tourist Board toll-free at 1-800-233-4JTB (1-800-233-4582), 305-665-0557 or go to www.visitjamaica.com.

For questions regarding the new U.S. passport requirements for travel to the Caribbean, go to www.travel.state.gov.