Major Inclusion of Ordinary Man and Woman in Tourism Value Chain

Government Senator, Abka Fitz-Henley, says there has been major inclusion of the ordinary man and woman in the tourism value chain.

Closing the State of the Nation debate in the Senate recently, he said the Government has fine-tuned credit facilities at the EXIM bank for small tourism enterprises across Jamaica.

“This facilitation has seen tourism loan disbursements via the bank which surpassed $1 billion last year. Small and medium-sized tourism stakeholders benefit directly from this initiative,” Senator Fitz-Henley said.

He also reiterated that the Agri-Linkages Exchange (ALEX) platform generated more than $1 billion in sales for small farmers last year.

“On this platform, ordinary farmers with plots of land up to five acres connect directly with hotels where their products are purchased and the farmers are paid appropriately. Small farmers are benefiting from the unprecedentedly booming tourism enterprise in Jamaica,” Senator Fitz-Henley said.

He also mentioned the Tourism Workers Pension Scheme, which surpassed the first $1 billion in savings within a year and one-half of its implementation.

Almost 9,000 Jamaicans have signed on to the plan, which is designed to cover permanent, contract or self-employed workers in the tourism sector, aged 18 to 59 years.

These include hotel workers as well as people employed in connected sectors, such as craft vendors, tour operators, red cap porters, contract carriage operators and workers at attraction sites.

“As we contemplate the state of the nation, there is strong evidence that the Government of Jamaica is committed to inclusive expansion of the tourism sector, which continues to contribute massively to the well-being of the Jamaican economy, which was recently highlighted by the Financial Times,” Senator Fitz-Henley said.