Paul Pennicook to Replace John Lynch as Jamaican Tourism Director

The government-run Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) named Paul Pennicook, a veteran Caribbean hospitality sales and marketing executive, as director of tourism effective July 9. Pennicook replaces John Lynch, another veteran Caribbean hospitality executive, who resigned in April after serving in the position since 2008.

Pennicook previously served as JTB’s director of tourism from 2003 and 2006. He has also alternately served as president and chief executive officer of Couples Resorts, as executive vice president at Sandals Resorts, and as vice president of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association. From 2006 to 2008 Pennicook was senior vice president of sales and marketing for Air Jamaica.  “Paul was selected for his highly accomplished, well-rounded experience as a hotelier, an airline executive and tourism director,” said Dennis Morrison, JTB’s chairman.

A total of 338,608 travelers visited Jamaica in January and February of this year according to the most recent Caribbean Tourism Organization statistics, a 3.4 percent increase over 2013 arrivals.

The total trailed only Cuba (995,525 arrivals between January and March) and the Dominican Republic (1.84 million visitors between January and April). Jamaica recorded more 2.1 million tourist arrivals in 2013, the island’s highest-ever total, again trailing only the Dominican Republic (4.7 million) and Cuba (2.9 million.

“As we meet the challenges of modernizing the operations of the board and deepening the partnerships with industry players, I am confident that the JTB has found the right man for the job,” said Wykeham McNeil, Jamaica’s minister of tourism and entertainment.

Source: Travel Pulse, http://www.travelpulse.com/news/destinations/pennicook-to-replace-lynch-as-jamaican-tourism-director.html