TPDCo Partners with Institute of Jamaica to Celebrate the Parish of Portland

The Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo) has partnered with the Institute of Jamaica (IOJ) to celebrate the parish of Portland on Sunday, November 12, at the Titchfield High School in Port Antonio, beginning at 1:00 p.m.

The IOJ, an agency of the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, will honour Portland through its ‘Salute to the Parish’ cultural heritage series.

Art, music, food, and other aspects of Portland’s cultural heritage will be on display during Sunday’s event.

There will be displays by several cultural entities, including the African-Caribbean Institute of Jamaica, the National Museum Jamaica, the Natural History Museum of Jamaica and cultural groups of Portland.

The event will also feature people of Portland who have contributed to the agriculture, tourism and creative sectors.

Director of Product Development and Community Tourism, TPDCo, Lionel Myrie, told JIS News that it was “a welcome opportunity” to partner with the IOJ in celebrating the 300th anniversary of Portland.

“The event, in particular, will also provide an opportunity for us to highlight how tourism has positively impacted Jamaica,” he said.

Mr. Myrie told JIS News that TPDCo will continue to seek alliances with entities that value Jamaica’s heritage assets.

“Such alliances will assist in the further promotion, preservation and protection of Jamaica’s assets as well as aid in the further diversification of Jamaica’s tourism product,” he added.

Mr. Myrie said Portland is not only an important asset to Jamaica’s cultural landscape, but also invaluable to the tourism industry.

“It was also the first parish to introduce the ‘all-inclusive’ concept at Frenchman’s Cove and the first to establish a hotel with modern amenities,” he added.

The ‘Salute to the Parish’ heritage series began in 2016 to highlight the national significance of each parish and the contributions they have made to Jamaica’s culture and heritage.