Tourism Minister Hails TPDCo

Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, has hailed the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo) for the crucial role it plays in the growth of the tourism industry by ensuring the integrity of brand Jamaica.

The Minister’s remarks came in a message read by Central St. James Member of Parliament, Heroy Clarke, at TPDCo’s 20^th anniversary service held on April 17 at the William Knibb Memorial Baptist Church in Falmouth.

He said that for the past two decades, the agency has been effectively carrying out its role in strengthening the country’s tourist product in order to ensure that “when the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) spends millions of dollars to promote and bring tourists to Jamaica, they will not be disappointed”.

Describing the agency as “a good steward” Mr. Bartlett said with five satellite offices and a staff complement of 187, TPDCo has been doing a great job in fine-tuning Jamaica’s tourism product, enabling the nation to become a first choice destination.

He urged the agency to continue to improve visitor satisfaction, by enhancing service delivery and amenities.

He further encouraged the agency to seek the collective support of the citizenry in order to effectively deliver on its mandate.

“One of those partnerships must be with the communities in our resort areas that are looking to this precious industry to improve their standard of living,” Mr. Bartlett said.

“TPDCo must continue to empower persons to value our assets, to value ourselves and all that is ours to offer. We are all stewards and at the end of the day, will be held accountable for the level of care and diligence that we exercise in dispensing our duties,” he added.

TPDCo is the central agency mandated by the Government of Jamaica to facilitate the maintenance, development and enhancement of the tourism product.

This is achieved through training of critical personnel and stakeholders;  improvement and development of amenities;  development of community-based tourism projects and mobilising residents to become stakeholders in the sustainability of these undertakings.