How We Plan To Boost Jamaica's Tourism Sector

Jamaica attracts between 1-2.2 millions tourists per year hence its the country biggest income and without it the economy would be in chaos. Now we did some research and realized that a very important part of the tourism sector is dying out and that's the small hotels.

Now according the Jamaica Observer article "Jamaica has six resort areas: Negril, Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, Port Antonio, Kingston and Mandeville, and the South Coast. At the same time, JTB's budget for overseas marketing has shrunk over the years -- from $1.3 billion in 2007/2008 to $683.6 million in 2009/2010 which would have been cut to $654 million in 2010/2011, if emergency marketing didn't become necessary to offset the impact of the Dudus extradition matter. The Government upped the provision to $963.7 million this year." We realized that this is precious part of the sector and advertising costs for a small hotel operator can be daunting.

 The big hotels in Jamaica are also feeling the squeeze but not like the smaller players. There's a basic rule i.e the higher the occupany rate the more revenue is generated. However to attract alot of tourists take alot of advertising budget. 

Now as a startup, we want to help the small operators therefore we are developing a very unique advertising technology that will attract tourists to stay at these hotels. It will give the small hotels in Jamaica the marketing power that the big guys have. We are currently experimenting with the system and we will provide updates as we go along.

As we said in our previous blog post that one of our mission is help build the Jamaica economy and we will not be like politicians that just talk and take no action. For us its all about "Just Get Up and Do It".

The Mission of iiQad

When a new company is started it must have several objectives and our objective at iiQad is way more than just becoming a successful company. In Jamaica, where unemployment, crime and heavy debt is plaguing the economy we believe that Jamaica has the innovative minds to turn this wrecking train around. We are in a decade were innovation is everywhere and countries that facilitate the growth of technology are the one's that are benefiting economically.

We believe that if that Jamaica government help the young innovative minds that have great business ideas, we would have a "entrepreneurial revolution" that would provide jobs, attract more foreign investments, improve the image of Jamaica and bring in more tax revenue for the country. Jamaica can become the hub of technology for the Caribbean that have local companies selling services to the global marketplace that bring in billions of dollars into the Jamaican economy.

This takes alot of work to accomplish but at  iiQad, our company will start this journey and we will accomplish it even if the government wont help. Technological Innovation is what can save the Jamaican economy because it doesn't require alot of capital to build a strong tech community that can attract the attention of the world.

What is iiQad?

iiQad  is a new form of advertising that allows local companies to use electronic screens to post relevant messages or anything else of their choosing to large amounts of people. 

Actually its a network of Screens linked to the iiQad.com website that allows regular individuals, small and medium size business owners to place advertisements in indoor locations anywhere in real-time. It allows small Jamaican business owners to upload their customized Ads and choose which location the ad should be shown. Advertisers will be able to upload photos, videos and or a simple Text Ad. iiQad provides a unique opportunity for Jamaican businesses to send a message instantly to their audience by displaying up-to-date messaging using real-time multimedia.

For us at iiQad, we will continue innovate to help your business the maximum exposure to the right eyeballs.

The Ridiculous High Cost of Advertising in Jamaica

As a startup in jamaica, we face the great hurdle that many small businesses encounter and that is the cost of advertising. After some in depth research we were able to gather some data on the cost of advertising using traditional media.

Mediums	Time Slots/Space	Cost for 30 days campaign
Television	10-60 Seconds	$55,000-$1,500,000
Newspapers	(2”x2”)-Whole page	$38,000-$952,000
Radio	15-45 Seconds	$40,000-$240,000

The cost is just the tip of the iceberg because these mediums mostly cater to big companies that goes for a mass audience instead of targeted local advertising. For eg. a restaurant that is located in Montego Bay which only serves the Montego Bay area would be wasting advertising dollars to do a nationwide promotion. 

In today's ever growing smart world local businesses have to advertise smart by choosing the right advertising medium that will bring the ROI. 

How Will iiQad Help Small Businesses in Jamaica

iiQad will give small Jamaican businesses the advertising power that the big companies have by giving them the ability to deliver high impact messages to target audiences at just the right time and place when your potential customer is most receptacle.  iiQad advertising costs way less than traditional forms of advertising such as newspaper, television, radio.  

However someone might asked why is it better? 

• Viewers tend to perceive television and radio ads as interruptions.  By contrast shoppers are more responsive to indoor screen ads when they convey timely, helpful and relevant local information about service providers. 
• Viewers cannot skip through the ads
• Digital Signage ads have the highest frequency that is repetition
• The ads are more compelling because of transitional styles and motion graphics
• The ads can be customized anytime, anywhere from any device giving the advertiser full control

Those are just a few of the many benefits of the iiQad advertising system and this be available to any anyone who want to promote their services, products or events. Our screens will being placed in high traffic locations in  that get at least 20,000-40,000 visits per month. 

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