Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Sangster International Airport, Dr. Rafael Echevarne, says the upgrading of the facility will help to position the airport as a key player in the economy. “We see ourselves playing a major role in Jamaica. We want to position ourselves as something that really stands out from being just a mere piece of infrastructure,” he said...

Several activities will be held to mark Tourism Awareness Week (TAW), which will be observed from September 24 to 30, under the theme ‘Sustainable Tourism – a Tool for Development’. This year’s observance will incorporate World Tourism Day, slated for September 27. Activities include a church service at St. John's Methodist Church in Montego Bay, St. James, on September 24;...

Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, says the upcoming United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Global Conference is garnering the kind of attention that is bound to boost Jamaica’s stock as a premier tourism destination. Mr. Bartlett told JIS News that the conference, to be hosted by both the Government of Jamaica and the World Bank Group, will be the...

Some $160 million has been allocated to upgrade Main Street, in Ocho Rios, St. Ann, as part of the multimillion-dollar redevelopment project being undertaken by the Urban Development Corporation (UDC) in the resort town. The project, which is being funded through the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), will see 400 metres of roadway being rehabilitated over eight months. Minister of Labour...

The Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo) has expanded its Team Jamaica programme to make it more accessible and attractive to industry stakeholders. Team Jamaica is a mandatory training and certification programme for persons employed in or otherwise associated with the hospitality and tourism industry. The programme’s main components include customer service, product knowledge, culture and environmental awareness. In a bid...

Plans are advanced for the Tourism Product Development Company’s (TPDCo) establishment of a Craft Development Institute (CDI) at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts (ENCVPA) in Kingston under a Memorandum of Understanding between the entities. The CDI is among several initiatives being pursued by TPDCo with view to growing the craft industry by providing artisans with...

The Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) has allocated an additional $350 million to the National Export-Import (EXIM) Bank of Jamaica to continue the provision of loans to the operators of small and medium-sized tourism enterprises (SMTEs). The allocation represents the second tranche of the $1-billion TEF/EXIM Bank Jamaica loan facility, which was launched in September 2016 with an initial $300 million...