HANOVER; Jamaica; Wednesday, February 25, 2025 – Director of Tourism for Jamaica, Donovan White, has emphasized the importance of the human touch in travel and tourism despite the rise in artificial intelligence. Over the last decade, there has been a rapid advancement and increasing integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology across various sectors including tourism.  

Speaking at the Global Tourism Resilience Conference yesterday during a panel on “Harnessing, Generative Artificial Intelligence for Tourism Resilience,” the Director of Tourism highlighted, “Since its emergence, the tourism industry has utilized AI to improve features like customer experience, reduce costs, and streamline operations – and it has been transforming the industry.  

However, the human element of travel is irreplaceable. Only humans can provide insights into particularities like the best time to visit a location for an excursion, who at the hotel mixes the best drinks or offer the best rates through personal contacts. AI cannot pick up on these complexities.” 

The panel featured several industry experts in AI and focused on the transformative impact of AI in fortifying the tourism sector against various challenges. It also looked at how AI technologies can be leveraged to enhance predictive analytics and automate customer service. 

The 3rd Global Tourism Resilience, taking place from February 17-19 at Princess Grand in Negril, features keynote speeches, panel discussions, and workshops centered around navigating challenges and leveraging opportunities in the tourism sector. 

Jamaica’s tourism is embracing these new AI technologies to make it easier to book and enjoy our destination. A recent development is that our AI-powered chatbot (Virtual Jamaica Travel Specialist) delivers 24hr customer assistance on Visit Jamaica.com and now converses in up to 10 languages. Jamaica’s enviable 42% visitor repeat rate is however because of our warm and authentic hospitality by our people,” said Director of Tourism for Jamaica, Donovan White. 

The Jamaica Tourist Board is utilizing these AI trends to help forecast future trends, demand, and customer preferences, enabling proactive decision-making and resource optimization. This enhances the Board’s ability to cater to evolving traveler needs and stay competitive. 

The 3rd Global Tourism Resilience, taking place from February 17-19 at Princess Grand in Negril, features keynote speeches, panel discussions, and workshops centered around navigating challenges and leveraging opportunities in the tourism sector.  

For more information about Jamaica, please visit www.visitjamaica.com. 

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ABOUT THE JAMAICA TOURIST BOARD  

The Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), founded in 1955, is Jamaica’s national tourism agency based in the capital city of Kingston. JTB offices are also located in Montego Bay, Miami, Toronto and London. Representative offices are in Berlin, Barcelona, Rome, Amsterdam, Mumbai, Tokyo and Paris. 

Jamaica is home to some of the world’s best accommodations, attractions and service providers that continue to receive prominent global recognition. In 2025, TripAdvisor® ranked Jamaica as the #13 Best Honeymoon Destination, #11 Best Culinary Destination, and #24 Best Cultural Destination in the World. In 2024, Jamaica was declared ‘World’s Leading Cruise Destination’ and ‘World’s Leading Family Destination’ for the fifth consecutive year by the World Travel Awards, which also named the JTB the ‘Caribbean’s Leading Tourist Board’ for the 17th consecutive year. 

Jamaica earned six Travvy Awards, including a gold for ‘Best Travel Agent Academy Program’ and silver for ‘Best Culinary Destination – Caribbean’ and ‘Best Tourism Board – Caribbean’. The destination also received bronze recognition for ‘Best Destination – Caribbean’, ‘Best Wedding Destination – Caribbean’, and ‘Best Honeymoon Destination – Caribbean’. Additionally, Jamaica received a TravelAge West WAVE award for ‘International Tourism Board Providing the Best Travel Advisor Support’ for a record-setting 12th time. 

For details on upcoming special events, attractions and accommodations in Jamaica go to the JTB’s Website at www.visitjamaica.com or call the Jamaica Tourist Board at 1-800-JAMAICA (1-800-526-2422). Follow the JTB on Facebook, X, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube. View the JTB blog at www.visitjamaica.com/blog/. 

Contact:  

Lou Hammond Group 

jamaica@louhammond.com