Bartlett announces Alexa, take us to the Metaverse!

This call for ideas is being made through the Tourism Enhancement Fund’s Tourism Innovation Incubator by October 14, 2022.

The Minister made this announcement yesterday (September 30, 2022), at the University of the West Indies Regional Headquarters, during the launch of the Ministry of Tourism’s Tourism Innovation Incubator , which will nurture new and start-up tourism enterprises and take Jamaica’s tourism to a new level in fulfillment of the Ministry of Tourism’s Blue Ocean Strategy.

“We are very excited to launch our Tourism Innovation Incubator today and look forward to seeing 25 unique ideas in this first round that can add value to our industry.”

“So, we urge you to get your ideas ready and submit them by October 14 and take a journey with us to strengthen our tourism offerings,” said Minister Bartlett.

He added, “This initiative is very important to us because it is in keeping with our Blue Ocean Strategy, which will give us a comparative advantage in the marketplace. For us to sustain the industry in the face of increased competition, we must market and promote Jamaica as an unmatched travel option and the Caribbean destination of choice for tourists. This requires us to not only rebuild stronger but also to focus on our competitive advantages in the tourism value chain. “

• Three words form the basis of any meaningful discussion on tourism today; one is resilience. The second is sustainability, and the third is innovation. I’d like to think of them as the pillars on which we have to build the future and grow the tourism industry.
• If ever there was any doubt that tourism is resilient and, managed properly; is sustainable, one has only to think back to the first quarter of 2020 when the coronavirus exploded into the world’s worst pandemic of the 21 ^st century and dealt with the tourism industry the worst blow ever experienced. Many feared the worst as tourism-dependent economies were devastated.
• Yet, here we are, just two years later, focusing not so much on resilience because how quickly the industry has bounced back is solid proof, but we are instead directing our thoughts to the need for innovation to ensure the industry’s sustainability.
• In so doing, we have seized the opportunity created by the pandemic setback to reengineer our tourism model and begin to fashion it into a truly Jamaican product. This was in the making before COVID-19 came along and gave us the breathing space necessary to recalibrate.
• As the chief policy director, my ultimate goal, and that of the Ministry of Tourism and its public bodies, is to develop a truly Jamaican tourism industry with Jamaicans producing, manufacturing, and marketing a range of authentic Jamaican products that will find themselves in the homes and offices of every visitor who comes here.
• In my 2021 Sectoral Presentation, I highlighted that research had shown that worldwide tourism was now being dominated by a new generation referred to as the GEN-C travelers. They crave new products in destinations that can ensure safe yet memorable experiences.

• I said then, and it holds today, that we must utilize locally sourced products and increase our local capacity to deliver them with superior quality and consistency to ensure they will continue to keep Jamaica top-of-mind for upcoming vacations.
• Today I am pleased to be launching one of the innovative ideas that is going to help us achieve that objective. The Tourism Innovation Incubator will nurture new and start-up tourism enterprises and take Jamaica’s tourism to a new level in fulfilling our Blue Ocean Strategy.
• This initiative targets young enterprising minds, for whom there are tremendous opportunities for jobs, creative products, and innovative ideas in tourism and hospitality.
• Tourism is one of the largest and fastest-growing industries locally and internationally. It provides avenues for young people looking for challenging positions that will take them to new heights of achievement.
• Even before the coronavirus pandemic disrupted lives and industries worldwide, it had become clear that in this 21 ^st century, while the trajectory of tourism growth was positive, the profile of travelers was changing as more of the younger generation acquired financial wealth and began searching for creative ways of spending that wealth.
• So, we have entered the era of the post-COVID-19 generation or GEN-C. Their interests go much deeper than basking in the sun on sandy beaches but penetrate the historical and cultural heritage of the people and the destination that they visit through personal interaction.
• While some things will not change, and given that we enjoy a high percentage of repeat visitors, the destination must remain current by having something new and different to appeal to travelers.

• The Tourism Enhancement Fund’s Tourism Innovation Incubator, launched today, has been established to nurture new and start-up tourism enterprises that will provide innovative products and ideas to power the Blue Ocean Strategy.
• So, what is the Blue Ocean Strategy? For us to define it, let’s look back at the emergence of tourism in Jamaica. It really started as a health and wellness leisure activity for the rich colonial plantation owners and their families, who from time to time needed to get away from the cold and recuperate from certain ailments in the warm climate.
• That gradually morphed into a getaway for the wealthy, who found Jamaica ideally suited for leisure and pleasure seekers.
• The interest of investors in building hotels and villas and the establishment of the Jamaica Tourist Board started to revolutionize tourism and formalize it as an important sector capable of contributing meaningfully to the national coffers and providing employment for a growing workforce.
• As Jamaica’s economic dependence on sugar and bananas began to shrink, tourism began to take on even greater importance, leading to the establishment of a variety of attractions that would appeal to visitors who did not want to spend their island vacation confined to sunbathing and the added events staged by hotels to keep them occupied.
• Fast forward several decades, and tourism has grown into one of the largest industries worldwide. For many countries, particularly those in the Caribbean, it is a major industry upon which there is reliance for foreign direct investment, contribution to gross domestic product (GDP), employment creation, and the economic survival of thousands of Jamaican workers and their families.

• We are almost at the close of this year’s observance of Tourism Awareness Week with its theme of “Rethinking Tourism,” as adopted by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) for World Tourism Day on September 27.
• We here in Jamaica have been devoting an entire week to staging activities that help to spread the message of how important tourism is to us. More importantly, we endorse the UNWTO’s position that the time has come to rethink how we do tourism for a more sustainable, inclusive, and resilient sector.
• The theme “Rethinking Tourism” recognizes the impact of COVID-19 on tourism worldwide and, in that regard, I’d like to reinforce the words of UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili, who in his World Tourism Day message said in part: “This year especially, we also recognize that we cannot go back to the old ways of working. We must rethink tourism.”
• He went on to say that “international organizations, governments, and local authorities must support the sector through its transformation.”
• I am pleased that this level of support exists in Jamaica and that Rethinking Tourism has the full support of the government and the local authorities with whom the Ministry of Tourism has forged partnerships for growth.
• We have seen the very positive impact of those partnerships with the very early post-COVID return of our visitor arrivals and tourism earnings to the near pre-COVID levels of 2019.
• To sustain the industry in the face of increased competition, we must market and promote Jamaica as an unmatched travel option and the Caribbean destination of choice for tourists. This requires us to not only rebuild stronger but also to focus on our competitive advantages in the tourism value chain.
• This is the primary objective behind the implementation of our Blue Ocean Strategy as we press forward with the development of tourism by employing innovation and maximizing cultural and historical authenticity to provide a tourism product that is Jamaican in every way possible.
• It is creating a competitive edge by offering our visitors an experience or product that they can have only in Jamaica, and therefore, we do not have to be concerned with competing with the same things as everyone else vying for the tourist dollar. Our focus will be on developing and promoting things that are authentically Jamaican.
• The Tourism Innovation Incubator is one key initiative that is being introduced to achieve these objectives, and it comes with an exciting, competitive start.
• TEF’s Research and Risk Management Department (RRMD), managed by Ms. Gis’elle Jones, has collaborated with the University of Technology/Technology Innovation Centre and the Founder Institute to launch an Innovation Challenge as a pilot of the core Tourism Innovation Incubator process.
• In this Challenge, the Tourism Incubator will seek to find 25 innovative ideas and then set the potential entrepreneurs who came up with these concepts on a commercial path through a challenge similar to the very popular Shark Tank on cable TV.
• During this pilot phase of our Tourism Innovation Incubator we will:
  • Develop a call for ideas
  • Provide Team Jamaica training
  • Introduce Tourism Linkages
  • Develop a lean canvas
  • Provide training on building and delivering a pitch
  • Assist in the development of a Business Plan
  • Provide intellectual Property Protection
  • Provide mentorship and networking opportunities
• Selection of the ideas is being done by a committee of members from TEF and the Development Bank of Jamaica (DBJ), and in addition to being tourism products or representing technology in tourism, each idea must be an innovation or invention that will add value.
• We will therefore require each participant to outline how their idea will add value to the tourism landscape and provide indicators for measuring the same, e.g., tourism spending, visitor satisfaction, contribution to the tourism workforce, etc.
• The idea must have a significant effect on the tourism industry. While this criterion could be considered ambiguous, it is the one that separates a basic improvement from a contribution to Destination Jamaica.
• The Innovation Challenge Process is very detailed, and participants must satisfy some strict criteria that will prove if, in fact, they have the spirit of an entrepreneur.
• Some of these include:
• The Lead Applicant must be a Jamaican Citizen residing in Jamaica for the last 3-5 years. (They must select Jamaican Nationality on the form, provide TRN and provide proof of address).
• The Lead Applicant must be 18 years or older by the submission deadline.
• The Lead Applicant or member of the team must be comfortable with technology.
• The participant/team must demonstrate commitment to the project. (Survey instruments or other methods may be used to assess commitment).

It is also important to note that:

1. Teams are not excluded from participating. However, there must be one designated team lead with whom the incubator will make their point of contact.
2. All participants are expected to have access to email as well as computers/tablets/laptops with a stable Wi-Fi connection, as most of the programme will be executed online.
3. This is an opportunity for new innovations or inventions from new or existing entrepreneurs. This is notan opportunity for established entities to expand their existing offerings. Finally, participants will be able to submit multiple ideas.
4. Upon making the final selection of candidates, the Incubator would offer the following services to the participants:
5. Execute workshops with participants in the refining of their ideas and development of a lean model canvas.
6. Guide participants on the validation of the lean model canvas and provide research support in this validation.
7. Train participants in pitch delivery.
8. Teach participants about key topics such as intellectual property and the importance of being formalized through informational sessions.
9. Provide opportunities for mentorship and networking
10. Source potential partners or investors to help participants in prototype and product development
11. Ladies and gentlemen, the Tourism Innovation Incubator will operate using the ecosystem model, where we will utilise existing programmes and institutions for the benefit of the tourism product and potential entrepreneurs.
12. It is important that there is a change in the “mind-set” of potential entrepreneurs. Our stakeholder engagements have revealed two major issues: Firstly, there is a trust deficit as there is a need to collaborate. The other is a fear of debt and equity financing.
13. That’s why the establishment of the Tourism Innovation Incubator represents a significant pivot in the way the TEF enhances the tourism sector and signals a change in risk appetite.
14. The TEF now has a mechanism to transform innovative ideas into commercial opportunities.
15. We do anticipate a positive response to this exciting initiative, knowing fully well that for tourism to work, we must all feel like we are a part of it. It’s a must that we strive for inclusiveness and for the betterment of our people.
16. Tourism is not just for the property owners, managers and general staff of those involved in it on a day-to-day basis. The undisputed fact is that given Jamaica’s dependence on the financial outcomes of tourism, everyone benefits, either directly or indirectly and so the outcome of this Tourism Innovation Incubator should be of interest to all as the participants embark on a journey, that for some, will be an incursion into the world of business for the first time.

• Business development is certainly not an easy thing; it takes dedication and the willingness to collaborate and being willing to pivot when things go wrong. Never be too quick to accept failure. The idea you start out with may not give you the anticipated result in the end but by employing your stick-to-itiveness and creativity, the execution of your market research may very well surprize you with something beyond your initial dream.
• I know that TEF will be keeping a close eye on this initiative and has devised a structured 7-month programme of following up, in a bid to reduce the drop-out rate.
• I have no doubt that this initiative will be a success. I’m sure the DBJ is also rooting for its success as it has been calling for more incubators to be sector-specific and to place emphasis on the pre-incubation phase. The Tourism Innovation Incubator is one of the answers to that call.
• Once again I would also like to encourage our tourism and hospitality leaders to become integrally involved in this innovative effort by becoming mentors for these young, potential entrepreneurs. You know, there’s this well-known saying, “there’s no need to reinvent the wheel” but also, there’s no need for the potential entrepreneurs to be making the same mistakes that some well established businesses have made. Your guidance will steer them on a more secure path.
• In closing, we are pleased to join the innovation ecosystem and I thank the public and private sector entities existing in the ecosystem for embracing the Tourism Innovation Incubator.
• As a special treat, we will be taking a trip into the Tourism Innovation Metaverse.
• Alexa, take us to the Metaverse!

The Tourism Innovation Incubator is managed by the Tourism Enhancement Fund through its Research and Risk Management Department.  It is being executed with the assistance of partners such as the University of Technology’s Technology Innovation Centre and the Founder Institute as well as members of the Tourism Incubator Task Force, which includes representatives from the National Export-Import Bank of Jamaica (EXIM Bank), Jamaica Business Development Corporation, Jamaica Hotel & Tourist Association, JHTA, University of Technology, Global Tourism Resilience & Crisis Management Centre, Tech Beach Retreat, and the University of West Indies.

Selection of the ideas is being done by a committee of members from TEF and the Development Bank of Jamaica (DBJ), and in addition to being tourism products or representing technology in tourism, each idea must be an innovation or invention that will add value. Each participant will be required to outline how their idea will add value to the tourism landscape and provide indicators for measuring the same, such as tourism spend, visitor satisfaction, and contribution to the tourism workforce, etc. The idea must also have a significant effect on the tourism industry.

“The establishment of the Tourism Innovation Incubator represents a significant pivot in the way the TEF enhances the tourism sector and signals a change in risk appetite. The TEF now has a mechanism to transform innovative ideas into commercial opportunities. We do anticipate a positive response to this exciting initiative, knowing fully well that for tourism to work, we must all feel like we are a part of it. It’s a must that we strive for inclusiveness and for the betterment of our people,” said Minister Bartlett.

Additional submission criteria and application forms for the Tourism Innovation Incubator can be found on the TEF’s website .