JTB Chairman Calls for Partnership between Tourism and Agriculture

Chairman of the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), Dennis Morrison has called for greater collaboration between the tourism and agricultural sectors for the country to achieve sustainable economic and social development.

Mr. Morrison, who was addressing the media launch of the St. Mary Agriculture Expo 2005 on January 29 at the Beaches Boscobel Resort and Golf Club, said that closer partnership between the sectors would enable the country to achieve unprecedented economic growth, because of the earnings that could accrue to the agricultural sector from increased visitor arrivals.

He noted that already, ties between the sectors, have resulted in farmers having access to foreign markets, while at the same time enabling the tourism industry to feed the visitors with more locally produced food.

This, he pointed out, had reduced the need for imported produced food items and saved the country valuable foreign exchange.

Mr. Morrison said that agriculture stood to benefit even further from projects now underway, to construct more hotel rooms.

Emphasising that the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) valued the contribution of the agricultural sector to the tourism industry, Mr. Morrison observed that, “the more farmers produced, the greater will be our ability to earn from our visitors and lessen our dependence on foreign markets for survival”.

The JTB chairman noted that Jamaica was different from other Caribbean destinations, as the country produced the food that it fed its tourists.

He exhorted young people to get involve in farming to enhance efforts to diversify and increase agricultural production.