Jamaica Hotel & Tourist Association

What Jamaica Hotel & Tourist Association does

The Jamaica Hotel & Tourist Association (JHTA), founded in 1961 and headquartered at 2 Ardenne Rd, Kingston, Jamaica, is the principal nonprofit trade association representing Jamaica's hospitality and tourism industry. With a lean staff of 17 employees, the organization serves hotels, resorts, boutique accommodations, allied suppliers (transportation, attractions, professional services) and chapter networks across six major Jamaican tourist areas — Kingston, Montego Bay, Negril, Ocho Rios/Runaway Bay, Port Antonio and the South Coast. Its core offerings include advocacy and membership representation, brand development support, an annual awards program, a member directory, special offers/savings programs, and targeted data and intelligence resources for members.

JHTA operates an event-driven go-to-market model, anchored by the flagship Jamaica Product Exchange (JAPEX) annual trade show, co-hosted with the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), which connects international buyers, tour operators and travel agents from 100+ countries with local suppliers. The organization is also a member of the Jamaica Energy Resilience Alliance (JERA), partnering with USAID and Cadmus Group to channel US$4M of renewable energy funding into Jamaican hospitality businesses. Revenue is generated primarily through recurring membership dues and allied (supplier) fees, supplemented by event participation, sponsorship and awards program contributions; pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. JHTA is governed by an elected Executive Council led since June 27, 2026 by President O'Brian Heron (Senior Corporate Director at Sandals Resorts International), supported by four Vice Presidents drawn from Royalton Resorts, Jamaica Inn, Coco La Palm and Sixt Rent A Car Jamaica.

Name

Jamaica Hotel & Tourist Association

Legal name

The Jamaica Hotel & Tourist Association

Website

https://jhta.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1961

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

JHTA is the Jamaican nonprofit trade association founded in 1961 that represents hotels, accommodations and allied tourism suppliers across Jamaica's six main tourist regions, providing advocacy, networking, awards, and the annual JAPEX trade show.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hospitality Trade Association

NAICS

Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Agriculture, Farming & AgriTech Shows Organizers (THAHABAM)

Keywords

• Hospitality trade association
• Tourism advocacy services
• Hotel industry representation
• Tourism networking events
• Travel trade marketing

Headquarters

HQ city

Kingston

HQ country

Jamaica

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership dues and fees: JHTA generates revenue through membership dues and fees from hotels, other visitor accommodations, and Allied (supplier) members. The association offers advocacy, brand development, networking opportunities, targeted data, and special offers/savings to members.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

JHTA is a membership-based trade association representing hotels, resorts, other visitor accommodations, and Allied (supplier) members in Jamaica's tourism industry. It delivers advocacy and industry representation, member brand development, networking opportunities, targeted industry data and intelligence, special member offers and savings, the annual JAPEX trade show connecting international buyers with local suppliers, and the annual awards program recognizing excellence across Jamaica's hospitality sector.

Product overview

The Jamaica Hotel & Tourist Association (JHTA) is a membership-based industry association, not a product company. It provides advocacy representation, networking opportunities, and member benefits to Jamaica's tourism sector. The association organizes the annual JAPEX trade show, manages an awards program recognizing industry excellence, provides data resources, and facilitates sustainability initiatives through JERA. The core offering is membership representation and industry support rather than a unified software product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• JHTA Membership Paid annual membership available to hotels, other visitor accommodations, and Allied (supplier) members operating in Jamaica's tourism industry. Bundles advocacy and industry representation, brand development support, networking with industry players and global partners, targeted data and intelligence, member directory listing, special offers and savings, and access to the annual JAPEX trade show and awards program.
• JAPEX (Jamaica Product Exchange) Annual premier tourism trade show co-hosted with the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) that connects international buyers, wholesalers, and travel advisors with local Jamaican tourism suppliers. Suppliers and buyers register separately via japex.org; the event provides networking, business negotiation, and showcasing opportunities for Jamaica's hospitality offerings.

Named customers12 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021JHTA co-hosts the annual Jamaica Product Exchange (JAPEX) with JTB. JTB invites international buyers to JAPEX where they meet with JHTA member suppliers. This partnership is described as the driver for Jamaica's tourism growth, with JAPEX serving as the platform for turning challenges into successes.
• Jamaica Energy Resilience Alliance (JERA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJHTA is a proud member of the Jamaica Energy Resilience Alliance (JERA), led by Cadmus Group LLC with support from USAID. The three-year SESR-Jamaica programme supports Jamaican businesses in reducing electricity costs through solar and battery storage adoption. JERA has supported over 20 commercial solar projects and more than 1,500 kilowatts of contracted capacity.
• Cadmus Group LLCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCadmus leads the Jamaica Energy Resilience Alliance (JERA), providing strategic and technical consulting. The alliance supports solar energy sector development in Jamaica and has provided free advisory services to over 80 Jamaican businesses in the hotel and manufacturing sectors.
• Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters Association (JMEA)majorGTM or Marketing PartnerJMEA co-hosted the Solar Business Forum with USAID and JERA. JMEA and JHTA together represent hundreds of businesses positioned to benefit from distributed solar and storage. Both are members of JERA.
• Tourism Linkages CouncilmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJHTA collaborates with the Tourism Linkages Council which includes agencies like JAMPRO, Jamaica Business Development Corporation, and Jamaica Manufacturers & Exporters Association. The council features a special pavilion at JAPEX.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Tourism Industry Aotearoa (TIA NZ): New Zealand's national tourism industry association, providing advocacy, events, and member services to a broad operator base. Mirrors JHTA's association structure in a different geography and serves as a benchmark for member-benefit design and sustainability-program packaging.
• Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO): Intergovernmental Caribbean tourism body coordinating regional destination marketing and research. Comparable in destination-promotion scope to JHTA's advocacy role but operates as a public-sector regional body rather than a private membership association.
• Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA): National hotel and tourism trade association serving Barbados. Comparable to JHTA in structure (membership, advocacy, awards), but operating in a different Caribbean jurisdiction with its own tourism mix and competitive set.
• Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA Bahamas): National trade body for hotels and tourism suppliers in The Bahamas. Mirrors JHTA's advocacy + membership model for a parallel Caribbean destination with similar dependency on US inbound travel.
• Hotel Association of Canada (HAC): Canadian national association representing hotels, resorts, and accommodation providers. Runs a similar membership, advocacy, and awards model to JHTA but in a different North American geography.

Broad incumbents

• UKHospitality: UK trade association for the broader hospitality sector (hotels, restaurants, pubs). Comparable as a mature membership- and advocacy-led industry body, but covers a wider hospitality remit than JHTA's hotel-and-tourism focus.
• American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA): The largest US hotel industry trade association, offering broader advocacy, training, and certification across all lodging segments. Comparable in mission and structure to JHTA, but operates at a much larger scale and broader portfolio.

Direct peers

• Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB): Jamaica's national tourism marketing authority and JHTA's co-host for the JAPEX trade show. JTB complements JHTA's private-sector advocacy with government-led destination marketing, and the two organizations jointly shape inbound demand for JHTA members — a tightly coupled operating relationship.
• Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA): Regional Caribbean trade association for hotels and tourism suppliers. CHTA operates the same membership-based, advocacy- and networking-led model as JHTA but across multiple Caribbean jurisdictions, making it the closest direct comparable for association structure, member benefits, and event-driven GTM.

Others

• Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters Association (JMEA): Jamaican industry association for manufacturers and exporters, and JHTA's partner on JERA and the Solar Business Forum. Not a competitor but a sister-association peer for benchmarking nonprofit governance, dues models, and USAID-program partnership structures.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/JHTAJamaica
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• Instagraminstagram.com/jhtajamaica
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/jamaica-hotel-&-tourist-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Jamaica Hotel & Tourist Association