Small Tourism Enterprises Get Help to ‘Big Up’ Operations

Several small and medium-sized tourism enterprises (SMTEs) across the island are receiving much-needed support to scale up their operations, generate new opportunities and increase earnings.

The support, which includes capacity-building training, marketing and promotional assistance, is being provided under the ‘Big up Small Business’ initiative, a new project being undertaken by the Travel Foundation in collaboration with international charity, the TUI Care Foundation,

Jamaica Programme Coordinator for the Travel Foundation, Coral Purvil-Williams, tells JIS News the initiative, which started in 2019, also entails training in product development and design, as well as opportunities to network and build linkages.

She notes that the execution of the activities was impacted by COVID-19 and, as a result, “we’ve had to pivot and what we did in partnership with the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo) is that in November and December 2021, we put on a series of recovery webinars aimed at assisting businesses to recover from the pandemic.”

Mrs. Purvil-Williams explains that the webinars sought to equip the entrepreneurs with much-needed knowledge and skills.

“We looked at things like evolving market needs and trends, health, safety and security requirements. We also supported them in helping to understand how to price their products to make a profit, how to market their products and the steps they need to take to really get ready for business again,” she tells JIS News.

She informs that seven businesses were selected for more targetted training and support under a Small Business Booster Programme.

They are Nonsuch Falls in Port Antonio, Portland; Far Out Fish Hut in St. James; Animal Farm and Nature Reserve in Hanover; Bunker’s Hill Cultural Xperience and River Tour in Trelawny; Holywell/Portland Gap/Blue Mountain Peak Trail in St. Andrew; Ilysse Experience Culture Market in Trelawny; and Trench Town Ceramic and Art Centre in Kingston.

“For those businesses, we’re providing a little bit more of a bespoke support where we’re kind of engaging them on a more one-to-one basis, supporting them in terms of what gaps they have [and] where they need to improve their products,” Mrs. Purvil-Williams says.

Nonsuch Falls copped the £2,000 prize for winning a product design competition that was held from March to April 2022, as part of the booster programme.

The competition provided the seven businesses an opportunity to put into practice what they learned from webinars held on evolving market trends.

“We thought their product was [the] one that responded to a lot of the market trends, in that they were able to come up with a new camping experience that also provided some kind of gastronomical experience for visitors,” Mrs. Purvil-Williams tells JIS News.

General Manager of Nonsuch Falls, Fabian Samuels, says winning the prize money was “great” as it has allowed for expansion of the business.

“We are currently in development, [adding] washrooms and storage facilities for when the guests come to our attraction,” he shares.

Mr. Samuels tells JIS News that the training was an “eye opener”, citing the various workshops and webinars from which he benefitted.

Meanwhile, the St. James-based Far Out Fish Hut won the risk assessment competition, taking home the over $350,000 cash prize.

Entities were asked to submit a risk assessment for their operations, or for a particular activity, experience or facility.

Director of Far Out Fish Hut, Blayne-Anthony Dalley, tells JIS News that he is “delighted to have won this competition and will definitely use the funds to help mitigate some of the identified risks.

“These unprecedented times have been challenging; and so, I want to thank Big Up Small Business. Kudos for the efforts to help build Jamaica’s micro and small tourism enterprises. It is highly appreciated,” he says.

Mrs. Purvil-Williams says as SMTEs recover from the pandemic, her organisation will continue to offer support in “whatever way shape or form”.