Janet Silvera, Senior Tourism Writer

LONDON, England:

The Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) will have to step up its United Kingdom marketing budget in order to reduce the deficit of 37,000 seats caused by Air Jamaica's permanent departure from the London Heathrow International Airport last month.

Jamaica has sold its slots at Heathrow, one of Europe's busiest airports, to the Richard Branson-owned Virgin Atlantic Airways.

Not only did the European market lose the country's national carrier, but the JTB U.K. marketing budget was cut from £1 million just before the September 3 general election to £600,000, resulting in the cancellation of television and billboard advertising. This also limited promotional activities, Elizabeth Fox, regional manager of the organisation, has told The Gleaner.

In an interview with The Gleaner on Monday, at the World Travel Market at ExCel in London, Mrs. Fox said charter companies such as First Choice and Thomson Fly would offset some of the damage by some 10,600 seats combined, but there were 27,000 spaces still to be filled.

More seats from tour operators

First Choice, one of the largest tour operators in the U.K., will add over 3,300 seats to Jamaica from November 2007 to May 2008, and Thomson Fly an additional 7,254.

Ms. Fox described this as relatively good news for the island, owing to the reports coming from the U.K. tour operators, but added that resources are needed to stimulate the market. The JTB competes with over 150 tourist boards in London and not having a national presence there could be detrimental to the market.