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THE Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) yesterday described late former director and board chairman, Adrian Robinson, as a forward thinker and a marketing genius.Robinson, 87, a former radio broadcaster and advertising executive, died in hospital Monday night. He was said to be ailing for some time."Under his leadership, Jamaicans were urged to be tourists in their own country and hoteliers were encouraged to create special packages to accommodate them. His 'Discover Jamaica' campaign, which he created to encourage Jamaicans to vacation at home, continues to influence our domestic marketing programme," the JTB said in a press release yesterday."... I offer my sincere condolence to his family, the team at Marketing Counselors Limited, his colleagues and friends," said Edmund Bartlett, minister of tourism. "Adrian was a man beyond his time, whose vision and wisdom positioned Destination Jamaica as a leader in regional tourism. His tenure as tourism director happened at a time of deep political turmoil, yet he was able to successfully lead his team to broker critical international partnerships and shrewd advertising placements that generated positive results in key source markets," said Bartlett.He added that Robinson's goal to create "a better climate of understanding" about tourism among Jamaicans is still the mandate of the tourism ministry "as we share across the length and breadth of the island, demonstrating how tourism is working for all".Robinson, said Bartlett, positioned Jamaica as much more than sea and sand, and his message was always undergirded by his mantra, "We're more than a Beach. We're a Country." Robinson, he said, recognised the need for Jamaica to increase its capacity for transporting visitors to the island, and he played an important role in the arrival of American Airlines to Jamaica.In recalling his time at the Jamaica Tourist Board, JTB Chairman John Lynch said, "His creativity played a great part in the creation of a number of our advertising campaigns. I recall that Adrian and Stewart Sharpe were the masterminds behind an initiative we had that brought hundreds of travel agents to the island to experience our tourism offerings. At the time, the scale of the trips in terms of the number of agents was groundbreaking. Personally, he had a great influence on my life as he was the one who convinced me to return to the island to work in tourism and with the board."Lynch said Robinson's philosophy was that visitor satisfaction would generate increased visits. Adrian Robinson, he said, will long be remembered for the repeat visitor campaigns which set new standards for tourism marketing both in Jamaica and the region.The Media Association of Jamaica (MAJ), in its tribute, said the Jamaican media, advertising, and creative landscape benefited immensely from the 30 years of creativity and leadership that Adrian brought to the industry at the helm of his agency. "Under his leadership, Marketing Counselors enjoyed a long-standing place...in the top five agencies representing iconic brands in Jamaica."Mr Robinson was the consummate professional who had a 360 appreciation of the media product because of his experience of all sides of the industry. His renowned 'voice of velvet' was wrapped around so many memorable campaigns, some of which are forever etched in our memory. We extend deepest condolence to his family, colleagues, and friends. We pray that his legacy will live on forever," said the MAJ.Senator Janice Allen, shadow minister for tourism, in her tribute, said Robinson's tenure at the the Jamaica Tourist Board saw a restructuring to focus on Jamaicans. "They formed the Domestic Marketing and Development Department...We should all lift our hats to Adrian Robinson for pioneering this focus for Jamaica's tourism product."We are proud of his life's work and today we give thanks for his countless contributions to our tourism product and to nation-building. [He was] a Jamaican who always puts Jamaica first in all he did and always ensured that Jamaicans were featured in representing all of what our destination has to offer," said Allen.Robinson was also one of Jamaica's best-known broadcasters. In the early years of the industry he worked as an announcer at both Radio Jamaica and the Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation.