TEF Driving Inclusive Growth And Innovation In Jamaica’s Tourism Sector

Jamaica’s tourism industry continues to evolve beyond sun, sea and sand, with the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) playing a central role in shaping a more dynamic, inclusive and sustainable sector.

Established two decades ago, the organisation was designed to reinvest directly into the country’s tourism product, using funds collected from airline and cruise passengers to strengthen the destination’s appeal and competitiveness.

Over the years, the TEF has maintained a clear mission, to continually improve Jamaica’s tourism offerings, while ensuring sustainability and inclusivity.

Investments have spanned a wide range of initiatives, including infrastructure upgrades, human capacity development and projects aimed at improving efficiency, logistics and access across the island.

Speaking in a recent JIS ‘Get the Facts’ television interview, Executive Director, Dr. Carey Wallace, says the agency’s mandate has consistently guided its work.

He notes that from inception, there was a tourism master plan that outlines all the activities required to take Jamaica to an improved level as a destination that continues to grow.

“We had worked along with that sustainable master plan, but since then we’ve continued to just have that mandate of every year ensuring that destination Jamaica gets better, more attractive, easier for visitors to manoeuvre, as well as for more of our local offerings to be presented to the tourists that come here,” Dr. Wallace says.

He notes that TEF executes a combination of internally developed projects and collaborative initiatives aligned with national policy priorities.

“For the most part, we have a directive from the Ministry of the policy direction… . However, if other entities have projects that match that mandate and match that policy directive, it’s something that the applications can come to our board and our board will consider,” Dr. Wallace explains.

He further notes that currently, the focus is a “local first” approach, aimed at ensuring Jamaican businesses and communities are key beneficiaries of the tourism sector.

“For instance, one of the areas we want to develop is our festival offerings because we believe that they’re outstanding,” Dr. Wallace says, adding that over the years, the TEF has supported both new and established events, helping to position them as world-class attractions.

Dr. Wallace points to the recently staged Lost in Time festival as an example of the kind of unique, homegrown events the TEF is keen to develop, noting that the agency supported it in its early stages because it was a “novel” concept.

He indicates that such experiences are seen as valuable additions to Jamaica’s tourism offerings, with the potential to become standout attractions that give visitors more reasons to choose the island.

Carnival in Jamaica and Rum festival are among other major events supported by the TEF.

“The whole idea is assessing the landscape of what we have that’s working extremely well for us and then helping to build that out, polish that off, present that, so that it becomes an international spectacle and it attracts international audiences to choose to come to Jamaica for that experience,” Dr. Wallace states.

He further notes that beyond events, the TEF strengthens the link between tourism and local industries.

“We do Speed Networking, for instance, where we bring all the local manufacturers and so on into the Convention Centre. We allow them to meet with the purchasing managers of all the hotels and attractions, and it provides that medium for connection, for exchange of the products that are available in Jamaica,” Dr. Wallace says.

He further informs that from this initiative; contracts are often signed on the spot, resulting in a stronger flow of tourism dollars into communities across the island.

Dr. Wallace also highlights the ‘Christmas in July’ trade show as a key initiative supporting local artisans, noting that it provides a platform to showcase their products to hotels and corporate buyers ahead of the holiday season. This, he says, gives them time to fulfil large orders, expand production capacity and scale up to meet demand.

The Executive Director further informs that human capital development is also central to TEF’s work.

“We have certification programmes where we certify our local talent, and these certifications, they are international. So, they get the qualifications that can be used anywhere,” he says.

“We have a Hospitality and Tourism Management programme that we fund to make sure that we are creating cohorts of young Jamaicans that are entering the tourism space with proficiency as they traverse from high school into the working world,” Dr. Wallace adds, noting that the programme is currently in 23 high schools across Jamaica and is being expanded each year.

Additionally, through its Tourism Incubator initiative, the TEF is helping entrepreneurs transform ideas into commercially viable products and services.

“This is a great opportunity now in 2026, where we have all the leverage from technology… . Today, the average Jamaican who lives on a hillside next to a waterfall or a blue hole, they can get content from their phones to the eyes of somebody sitting in Berlin or Minneapolis,” Dr. Wallace states.

He notes also that there is the Roads to Attractions initiative which rehabilitates and upgrades roadways to waterfalls, blue holes, mineral spas, and other sites across the island.

“We’ve done Roaring River, Good Hope and Island Gully Falls… . That whole idea is to open up those tourism attractions to make the entire community be lifted to be able to benefit from and earn from the tourism dollar,” Dr. Wallace emphasises.

Through a diverse portfolio of initiatives, TEF continues to strengthen the island’s tourism product, from supporting festivals and improving access to attractions to fostering innovation and empowering local communities.