Jamaica, fascinating island state in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies, the third largest island after Cuba and Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean area, is positioning itself as a global hub of tourism innovation.
Edmund Bartlett, Jamaica's Minister of Tourism, announced that the country is achieving considerable success with the Tourism Innovation Incubator program that is revolutionizing the country's tourism industry.
The Tourism Innovation Incubator, launched by the Tourism Development Fund, a public body of the Ministry of Tourism in response to the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, aims to identify and promote innovative ideas that can transform the Jamaican tourism sector.
This year, the program received a staggering 222 applications, marking an increase of 553% compared to the 34 applications received in the inaugural year of 2022.
The Minister of Tourism commented that this exponential growth is not just a statistic but a resounding vote of confidence in the potential of the program and a witness to the entrepreneurial spirit that runs through the veins of every Jamaican emphasized the Minister.
From this impressive pool of candidates, 22 innovators have been carefully selected to join the 2024 cohort. This heterogeneous group is composed of 12 women and 10 men aged between 19 and 68 years and represents a representative sample of Jamaican parishes.
Their innovative ideas span a broad spectrum, including immersive underwater experiences, cutting – edge augmented and virtual reality tours, sustainable transportation solutions and pioneering applications of artificial intelligence and blockchain in tourism.
Edmund Bartlett, who conceived the incubator initiative, emphasized that the tourism innovation incubator is a bold statement of Jamaica's commitment to becoming a global thought leader in the tourism industry and urged stakeholders to embrace these innovations and invited potential partners and investors to take advantage of the myriad opportunities for collaboration and investment.
The Minister then added that it is not only an adaptation to the future of tourism but is actively shaping it by creating experiences that not only engage visitors but leave an indelible mark on their lives as a sustainable, authentic and typically Jamaican tourism industry is being built.
The Tourism Innovation Incubator is poised to generate significant job opportunities particularly for young people while improving visitor experiences and laying a solid foundation for the development of sustainable tourism in Jamaica.
As these innovative ideas move from concepts to reality, they promise to transform Jamaica’s tourism landscape and impact the lives of millions of visitors and Jamaicans.
link https://www.expreso.info/noticias/internacional/101748_jamaica_se_posiciona_como_centro_mundial_de_innovacion_turistica
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thanks a lot to read and note.