TPDCo Lauded for Tourism Quiz Competition

The Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo) is receiving high praises for the staging of its Tourism Quiz competition.

The fifth edition of the competition recently concluded and saw Hosanna Preparatory School from St. James creating history, becoming the first school from the ‘tourist capital’ to emerge as the winner.

They defeated Mount Airy Primary School from Westmoreland to walk away with the top prize of $200,000, among other rewards.

Coach, Hosanna Preparatory School, Donovan Hanson, tells JIS News that the TPDCo Tourism Quiz competition is very important.

“The exposure that the children would have gotten from this, they can’t put a value to that. So, we really want to commend the TPDCo and their partners for putting on a competition of this nature,” he says.

“We have learnt so much about the tourism product of Jamaica,” Mr. Hanson adds.

He notes that persons often revel in Jamaica being a tourist hub but are unaware of its offerings.

“There are some places, for example, that I learnt about while preparing for this competition and it’s the same for the students,” says Mr. Hanson, adding that they also learnt facts about Jamaica and the world during preparation.

He encourages other schools to participate in the competition, noting that while there are other types of quiz competitions, given the specific focus on tourism, the TPDCo Tourism Quiz is very beneficial.

“If you just want the children to be active and participate and learn more about Jamaica, this is the right competition,” says Mr. Hanson.

The coach further informs that winning the competition evokes a feeling of excitement and humility.

“We understand that 32 schools would have entered this competition, and they were 32 competent schools. I’m pretty sure that there were other schools that would have wanted to enter and didn’t get a chance, but to know that we persevered and came out on top, is a really good feeling,” says the coach.

Meanwhile, Captain, Hosanna Preparatory School Quiz Team, Shanae Kelly, tells JIS News that participating in the competition “was fun”.

“At the end of each [match] when we won, we all felt really happy. We were like, oh yes, we get to go to the next round and continue to show off our skills,” says Shanae.

She informs that they learnt a lot about the country’s tourism product throughout the competition, one of which was the fact that “[Falmouth] Water Square is actually a triangle”.

The team captain emphasises that the competition plays an integral role in highlighting the importance of tourism to Jamaica, while boosting the knowledge of participants.

“It allows students to become a lot more educated on their own country, which, in turn, could also help them in their normal school studies,” she says.

“In the future, if there is anybody who comes to Jamaica and knows nothing about it, then I could be the person to tell them about Jamaica,” Shanae adds.

The competition forms part of initiatives being implemented by the TPDCo to increase awareness about the importance of the tourism industry among young people.

It is designed to infuse some of Jamaica’s cultural heritage and the culture of tourism into students.

Resource materials used for the competition included the Adventures of Sprucey and Limey, a comic book produced by TPDCo, and Our Jamaica, a publication done by the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association.

The Primary Exit Profile (PEP) syllabus for social studies, mathematics and general knowledge, news and current affairs, and a basic Spanish manual relating to tourism, were also among the resource materials used for the quiz.

The TPDCo, its partners, including the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), Ministry of Tourism, Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), Jamaica Vacations (JAMVAC), and Montego Bay Convention Centre, were instrumental in organising this educational and competitive event, which fosters a generation of informed, enthusiastic ambassadors for Jamaica’s tourism industry.