Experiencing ‘the real Jamaica’ with Midcounties Co-operative
Experiencing ‘the real Jamaica’ with Midcounties Co-operative
Graeme Jackson, Head of Partnerships, along with five agents from our partner Midcounties Co-operative’s ‘The Personal Travel Agents at Co-operative Travel’ and the ‘Co-operative Travel’ divisions enjoyed an exclusive five-day fam trip to Jamaica, courtesy of Sandals Resorts’ UK tour operator, Unique Caribbean Holidays Ltd (UCHL).
The five agents selected to attend the fam, which took place in September, were those who had generated the highest volume of customer donations to the Travel Foundation in the past 12 months.
The trip itinerary was designed with an emphasis on sustainability and gave the agents the opportunity to see, first-hand, the work that we and The Sandals Foundation do. The itinerary took agents on adventures into “the real Jamaica”, allowed them to see and experience some of our initiatives on the island, along with those of the Sandals Foundation, and featured sustainability-focused workshops.
Visit to Appleton Estate (left to right): Alicia Whittle, Natalie Maskell, Sheena Whittle, Annabel Smithies Neil Read, Les Moore, Carol Novelli, Graeme Jackson.
The agents enjoyed a ‘See & Snorkel’ experience at the Whitehouse Marine Sanctuary which is funded by the Sandals Foundation, a visit to the Appleton Estate visitor attraction (courtesy of the Jamaica Tourist Board) a Montego Bay city tour, a visit to the Harbour Street Craft Market and a tour of the Rastafari Indigenous Village.
The group, which included Sheena Whittle, Head of The Personal Travel Agents at Co-operative Travel, Neil Read, Business Development Manager for Sandals Resorts and Graeme Jackson our Head of Partnerships plus the five agents, stayed at the Sandals South Coast, Sandals Negril and Sandals Montego Bay resorts and also visited Sandals Negril Beach Resort and Spa, Beaches Negril Beach Resort and Spa, Grand Pineapple Negril and Sandals Royal Caribbean Resort and Private Island.
Sheena Whittle, Head of The Personal Travel Agents at Co-operative Travel, said: “To see first-hand some of the amazing projects was so valuable. We snorkelled over the nursey coral reefs and saw the impact that the newly cultured coral can have, met stallholders at the Harbour Street Craft Market who had undergone Travel Foundation ‘Warm Welcome’ training, and also visited the Rastafari Indigenous Village, where we talked to the community about how they have created a sustainable way of living and how they educate others about their lifestyle and values. We all felt incredibly privileged to be experiencing these projects first-hand – it was truly inspiring.”
