Maureen Barnes-Smith, director of sales and marketing for Unique Vacations Canada, has praised the annual Baxter Canadian Golf Tournament as an essential platform for strengthening the relationship between Canadian travel advisors and brand Jamaica.

Barnes-Smith spoke glowingly about the commitment of travel advisors in promoting the island as a premier tourist destination, while also highlighting the broader impact of the event in terms of giving back to the community through the Sandals Foundation.

“I'm very excited this year in particular, because, you know, Jamaica is focused on so many different branches of tourism. Sports tourism is a big one for Jamaica, and this golf tournament certainly ties into that. The Baxter Canadian Travel Advisors Golf Tournament is more than just a sporting event—it’s an opportunity for us to continue fostering strong partnerships with travel advisors who have been instrumental in positioning Jamaica as a must-visit destination," Barnes-Smith told SportsMax.Tv.

“Travel advisors are the backbone of the travel industry, and their dedication in showcasing Jamaica's beauty, culture, and hospitality is invaluable. This tournament allows us to celebrate their hard work while engaging with them on a personal level," she added.

The golf tournament, which is now a staple event on the calendar for Canadian travel advisors, provides a unique mix of sports and tourism promotion, enabling participants to experience Jamaica's unique appeal firsthand.

A total of 17 teams of four golfers each engaged in the two-day tournament at the Sandals Golf and Country Club in Upton Estate.

Beyond networking benefits, Barnes-Smith highlighted that the tournament plays an important role in supporting the work of the Sandals Foundation, which, in honour of its 15th year of operation, invited professional golfer and celebrity entertainer Todd Keirstead to assist in raising much-needed funds.

"As always, we're trying to raise as much funds for the Sandals Foundation, so we brought Todd in from Canada to do trick shots at the golf course. So there are people teeing off people's heads, peeling off of coconuts, and it's all in aid of trying to build awareness because he's also a part of Para Canada," Barnes-Smith shared.

"So we're trying to really focus on the foundation and the good that the foundation does in the community, for the economy, and also for the environment. So we're focused on all of those things. So it's really about the golfing, but it's also about the destination and also about everything that we try to do for the Caribbean as a brand," she noted.

Barnes-Smith also revealed that a recent large-scale event, hosted by Sandals Resorts in Montego Bay, attracted over 600 travel agents, who were flown in to immerse themselves in the Jamaican experience.

That event, she said, was a massive success and part of the brand’s broader strategy to drive tourism as a whole, while showcasing the island’s potential as a destination for more than just sun and sand.

"We had a thousand people in Montego Bay yesterday (Wednesday), and it was all about brand Jamaica. We wanted to ensure that these agents had the chance to experience the best of what Jamaica has to offer—the culture, the people, the food, the music, and what we, as a company, as a brand, bring into Jamaica as a local Jamaican company. 

"Because a lot of people see Sandals. They don't realise that Sandals is a Jamaican company, but also what we do for the rest of the Caribbean. But it's all about the destination, and golfing is just a small part,” Barnes-Smith explained.

Ultimately, Barnes-Smith underscored that everything they do is to assist travel advisors in becoming better equipped to sell Jamaica to their clients with confidence. 

“As Sasco would say, sell Jamaica first, second, and third, and also fourth. So for me, it really is about getting everybody focused. We're a Caribbean company, but as a Jamaican brand, we also have a lot more exposure in Jamaica than we have anywhere else.

“So for us, it's all about making sure that we're giving back as much to this destination as we can and we're doing that through sports tourism, through the foundation, and through the Sandals Corporate University,” Smith-Barnes ended.