Students from high schools across the Ocho Rios and Falmouth destination areas were brought into sharp focus as future leaders of the industry at the 8th TPDCo Youth Expo & Career Fair, held at the Holiday Haven Hotel under the theme “Centre of Opportunity: Careers for a Sustainable Tourism Future”.

Hosted by the Tourism Product Development Company Limited (TPDCo.) in partnership with the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), the Expo, staged on February 13, 2026, highlighted Jamaica’s deliberate strategy to connect youth development with sustainability, innovation and global resilience leadership.

Participants interfaced with organisations representing the full spectrum of the tourism value chain, including the Caribbean Maritime University (CMU), EnviroTek Group, Port Authority of Jamaica, HEART/NSTA Trust, 360 Recycle Manufacturing, Jamaica Vacations Ltd (JAMVAC), Sandals Dunn’s River, master potter Phillip Supersad and Showjam Promotions. Their presence underscored the interconnected nature of tourism, spanning maritime services, aviation, environmental management, culture, digital technology, and entrepreneurship.

In his keynote address, Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett, encouraged students to expand their perception of the industry’s reach and relevance.

“Tourism is about people. It is the most people-centered economic activity on planet Earth.”

He cautioned against viewing tourism as limited to hospitality spaces alone.

“People believe that tourism is an entity unto itself; it is an economic activity with four walls. Absolutely not. Tourism is everything that is around you and about you and everything that you do.”

Pointing to the scale of opportunity embedded within the sector, the Minister noted, “It takes 175 different social and economic activities to satisfy one tourist.”

He further observed, “Tourism is a confluence of multiple moving parts. Each part is loaded with economic possibilities.”

Minister Bartlett also situated youth engagement within Jamaica’s broader resilience trajectory. Despite natural disasters, economic shocks and the global pandemic, the sector adapted and strengthened, with Jamaica’s crisis response now cited internationally as a model for Small Island Developing States. At the centre of this framework is the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre, headquartered in Jamaica and designated by the United Nations as the global hub for tourism resilience, crisis management and recovery, supporting collaboration across the Caribbean and Africa.

Within that global context, young people are increasingly regarded as essential contributors to innovation and community-based tourism growth. “What we want to do, young people, is to enable a career based on merit and equity,” the Minister added.

In his remarks, Executive Director of TPDCo, Wade Mars, emphasised the importance of youth participation in shaping the industry’s direction.

“As we continue to build a tourism industry that is sustainable, resilient, inclusive and proudly Jamaican, we need young people who bring curiosity, creativity, and fresh ideas into the space.”

Throughout the day, students examined certification pathways, engaged directly with industry professionals, and explored emerging, technology-driven careers. The Expo forms part of a structured effort to cultivate a skilled, future-ready tourism workforce anchored in competence, equity and opportunity.