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Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett has articulated a vision for the ‘Local First’ initiative that aims to ensure Jamaica’s multibillion-dollar tourism industry delivers direct economic benefits to local innovators and manufacturers.

“Local First is an economic strategy to convert tourism demand into tourism production. Jamaican contracts, Jamaican jobs, and Jamaican wealth. For every moment demand is created…that demand must be filled by Jamaican people,” Bartlett declared.

He was speaking during the annual ‘Christmas in July’ trade show, held at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston on Thursday, July 9.

Bartlett emphasised that the strategy does not entail an outright ban on imports but requires that imported goods undergo local value-added processing to elevate them to “another dimension”.

He explained that the Local First initiative, which forms part of the Tourism 3.0 framework, will be underpinned by three critical pillars: training, capital development, and marketing.

The strategy begins with the development of human capital, ensuring that Jamaicans possess the skills, knowledge, and capacity needed to meet the demands of the sector.

Bartlett noted that achieving this objective would require the generation of new ideas to capitalise on the global tourism market, valued approximately US$3.5 trillion.

“So, in our Ministry, through the [Tourism Enhancement Fund] (TEF), we have established the Tourism Innovation Incubator, which aims to garner ideas from all over…from young people who have no collateral but have ideas…and to bring those ideas into that incubator to be converted into products,” he said.

The Minister stated that the next step is capital development to move products from the incubation stage to manufacturing, processing, and packaging.

Bartlett noted that the Ministry is expanding access to capital through a partnership with the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce, and the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service.

Through the collaboration, $1 billion has been allocated to the EX-IM Bank to support a revolving loan programme that helps individuals with viable ideas access the financing needed to develop their ideas.

“So far, 433 small companies have benefited, and we have already on-lent…over $3 billion. We still have $750 million ready to on-lend to others when they come with new ideas for new products and new developments,” Bartlett added.

He further noted that the capital market must be expanded and urged commercial banks to finance ideas that have successfully transitioned into market-ready products.

Bartlett identified marketing as the final pillar of the strategy, noting that the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) platform is now fully digitised and equipped to host interested industry stakeholders.

He explained that the platform will leverage artificial intelligence (AI) and data analytics to help local businesses identify market trends, better understand visitor psychographic profiles, and utilise AI-powered avatars to market their products directly to consumers.

“So, Local First is then to create the bridge that connects you, with the great ideas, with the market…and tourism is the market,” Bartlett said.

He stated that events such as Christmas in July, speed networking sessions, and similar initiatives will continue to serve as critical linkages within the tourism value chain, directly connecting local creators with hotels, restaurants, attractions, and transportation providers.

This year’s Christmas in July trade show features approximately 180 exhibitors showcasing a wide range of Jamaican-made products and services. The two-day event concluded on Friday, July 10.