Jamaica Day at the South Street Seaport in New York City

NEW YORK, NY – May 29, 2008 – The sights, sounds and tastes of Jamaica are set to enthrall New York City on Monday, June 2, 2008 in what is being billed as Jamaica Day at the South Street Seaport, Pier 17. The day-long event, organized by the Jamaica Tourist Board, will kick off Caribbean Heritage Month, and is free and open to the public.  Festivities start at 11:00 am. 

Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett and Director of Tourism Basil Smith will lead the island’s tourism officials expected to participate in Jamaica Day on June 2.  Jamaica Day comes on closely the heels of the arrival of Jamaica Clipper which is part of the Clipper Round The World Yacht Race, now on its way to New York.  Jamaica Clipper will dock at the North Cove Marina on June 3, before its departure the following day.

During Jamaica Day, visitors to the South Street Seaport can steep themselves in the island’s culture through authentic Jamaican music while sampling the scrumptious cuisine for which the destination is well known.  Blessed with an abundance of talent, a number of the island’s performing and visual artists are expected to display their skills. Furthermore, several of Jamaica’s top hotels, attractions and travel partners will be present for visitors to learn about the wide variety of offerings throughout the island.  Participating partners include: Couples Resorts, SuperClubs, Sunset Resorts, Holiday Inn Sunspree, Atlas Vacations, Air Jamaica, Air Jamaica Vacations and Chukka Caribbean Adventures.
 
Katani’s Jamaican Holiday
The event will also serve as the launch for popular tween book series Beacon Street Girls’ latest adventure book, Katani’s Jamaican Holiday, which goes on sale on June 3.  Founder of Beacon Street Girls, Addie Swartz, will be on hand to read excerpts, and provide fans with an exclusive sneak peek of the book.

The day will culminate with a free concert beginning at 5:00 p.m. featuring teen sensation Sean Kingston and a number of other Jamaican entertainers including Richie Stephens. 

Director of Tourism Basil Smith is pleased that Jamaica will have such a wonderful opportunity to promote the destination and its vibrancy.  “Jamaica Day is integral to our promotional efforts as we showcase the unique aspects of our culture – our cuisine, our music and literature to New York City,” noted the Tourism Director.

Jamaica Day will be part of the kick-off events in New York City to mark Caribbean Heritage Month to be celebrated during June.  The month was officially declared as "Caribbean-American Heritage Month" in 2006 by President George W. Bush to celebrate and honor Caribbean culture as well as pay tribute to the significant contributions Caribbean-Americans have made to the United States.  Since then the month has been renamed Caribbean Heritage Month by the Institute of Caribbean Studies which prepared the Bill, sponsored by Congresswoman Barbara Lee.

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. The JTB was declared the Caribbean’s Leading Tourist and Convention Bureau by the World Travel Awards (WTA) for 2006 and 2007, while Jamaica earned the WTA’s vote as the World’s Leading Cruise Destination, the Caribbean’s Leading Destination and the Caribbean’s Leading Cruise Destination.
 
JTB offices are located in Kingston, Montego Bay, Miami, Toronto and London. Representative offices are located in Düsseldorf, Barcelona, Rome, Amsterdam and Tokyo. 

For details on upcoming special events, attractions and accommodations in Jamaica go to the Jamaica Tourist Board’s Web site at www.visitjamaica.com , or call the Jamaica Tourist Board at 1-800-JAMAICA (1-800-526-2422).

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