Experience The Real Jamaica Through A Groundbreaking Community Tourism Campaign: Here’s What You Need To Know

Published on September 13, 2025

When astir travellers picture Jamaica, they often spot achromatic sandy beaches, all-inclusive resorts, reggae rhythms, and iconic Blue Mountain coffee. But nan land wants nan world to cognize there’s acold much waiting beyond nan shoreline. With a lukewarm grin and a deeper invitation, Jamaica is opening nan doors of its kitchens, trade workshops, and villages to travellers who want much than a formation holiday.

The Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) has officially launched a caller run called There’s Always More to Jamaica. This integer inaugural highlights nan richness of community-based tourism (CBT) and intends to toggle shape really group research nan island. Running done November 2025, nan run calls connected visitors to acquisition Jamaica done nan lives of its group — from farmers and artisans to chefs, musicians, and storytellers.

The Campaign’s Scope and Reach

Where Travellers Will See It

The There’s Always More to Jamaica run will unrecorded connected awesome integer platforms including Google, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. The contented will beryllium produced successful visually engaging formats specified arsenic reels, stories, video features, and interactive guides that entreaty to modern travellers searching for immersive experiences. The charismatic run handle, @DiscoverMoretoJamaica, serves arsenic nan hub for societal media outreach.

Target Markets

Jamaica has identified its strongest inbound tourism markets for nan campaign: nan United States, Canada, nan United Kingdom, Germany, and France. These are destinations pinch established visitant flows, but they are besides location to audiences progressively demanding recreation that goes beyond emblematic sightseeing. By focusing connected these countries, nan JTB hopes to promote repetition visitors to return for deeper experiences while besides appealing to first-timers who want much than conscionable nan “sun, sand, and sea” formula.

Experiences Highlighted successful nan Campaign

Eco and Marine Excursions

The run will radiance a spotlight connected excursions that link travellers pinch Jamaica’s earthy ecosystems. From guided hikes successful nan Blue Mountains to kayaking successful mangrove forests and snorkelling successful marine sanctuaries, these activities are designed to promote respect for biodiversity while letting visitors bask nan island’s landscapes.

Cultural Heritage Tours

Visitors will beryllium capable to study astir nan Maroon communities — descendants of formerly enslaved Africans who established free societies — done music, dance, oral storytelling, and humanities tours. These experiences supply a deeper knowing of Jamaica’s personality and resilience. Historical stepping tours of towns, practice trails, and taste festivals will besides beryllium portion of nan promotion.

Craft Workshops

For travellers who bask hands-on learning, trade workshops will connection opportunities to meet section artisans and effort accepted skills. These see wood carving, handbasket weaving, pottery, and jewelry making utilizing earthy materials. Such workshops not only sphere practice but besides make income for families successful agrarian areas.

Culinary Journeys

Food is cardinal to Jamaican culture, and nan run is placing beardown accent connected culinary tourism. Visitors will beryllium encouraged to subordinate farm-to-table tours, navigator pinch section families, study astir spices for illustration pimento and naughty seasoning, and observe nan island’s rum-making heritage. The extremity is to show that Jamaica’s kitchens and farms are arsenic overmuch a portion of nan acquisition arsenic its beaches.

Why Community-Based Tourism Matters

Community-based tourism (CBT) is being positioned arsenic a cornerstone of Jamaica’s tourism future. Unlike accepted models that centralise profits successful ample resorts, CBT spreads nan benefits crossed communities. Farmers supplying caller produce, women starring culinary classes, and artisans trading crafts tin each use directly.

Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett has emphasised that nan island’s communicative is told not conscionable successful its landscapes and hotels but successful its people. He has stated that CBT allows travellers to link pinch Jamaica’s civilization while ensuring that farmers, craftspeople, and villages gain alongside larger manufacture players.

Director of Tourism Donovan White added that nan run is an preamble to nan Jamaica travellers haven’t met yet — nan 1 recovered successful colony streets, location kitchens, and section stories. He stressed that nan principle of this effort is astir creating meaningful quality connections while supporting small, grassroots tourism enterprises.

Partnerships Driving nan Campaign

The run is being spearheaded by nan Jamaica Tourist Board successful collaboration pinch nan Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) done nan Rural Economic Development Initiative (REDI II). International support comes from Trove Tourism Development Advisors, who are moving to position CBT enterprises connected nan world stage.

These partnerships guarantee that smaller organization operators are visible online and capable to scope world travellers directly. They besides supply training, integer infrastructure, and trading support truthful that these businesses tin support precocious standards of work and authenticity.

Economic and Social Impacts

Diversification of Tourism Revenue

Tourism is Jamaica’s economical lifeline, accounting for a ample stock of GDP, jobs, and overseas speech earnings. By promoting CBT, nan authorities hopes to diversify gross sources, ensuring that mini farmers, agrarian families, and artisan cooperatives summation alongside edifice operators. This could thief trim economical disparities betwixt municipality edifice areas and agrarian communities.

Cultural Preservation

CBT besides contributes to safeguarding Jamaica’s taste identity. By integrating music, craft, cuisine, and storytelling into nan visitant experience, nan run incentivises communities to proceed practicing and passing down traditions.

Sustainability

Smaller-scale, locally tally tourism activities thin to beryllium little environmentally intrusive than large-scale development. By highlighting eco excursions and marine conservation, nan run supports sustainable practices that protect earthy resources while generating income.

Challenges Ahead

Despite its promise, nan run faces immoderate challenges. Delivering accordant value crossed galore mini operators will require training and ongoing support. There is besides nan consequence of over-tourism successful vulnerable communities if numbers turn excessively quickly.

Visitor expectations coming different challenge: galore travellers from Europe and North America request definite work standards. Balancing authenticity pinch comfortableness will beryllium crucial. Finally, ensuring that communities support power complete their ain narratives — alternatively than having civilization commodified — will beryllium basal for semipermanent success.

Why This Campaign Resonates Globally

Travellers coming are progressively seeking authentic, meaningful journeys. Studies show that younger travellers successful peculiar want to prosecute pinch section people, study skills, and lend positively to nan destinations they visit. Jamaica’s run responds straight to this demand.

It besides strengthens nan island’s resilience: by diversifying experiences, Jamaica becomes little limited connected immoderate azygous marketplace segment. If world disruptions effect resort-style tourism, CBT tin service arsenic a buffer and betterment tool.

Human Touch: More Than Just a Holiday

Imagine stepping into a agrarian colony wherever children are playing shot successful nan dusty square, a grandma stirs a cookware of spicy stew complete a wood fire, and section drummers group a hit that makes your feet move earlier you realise it. That’s nan Jamaica this run is unveiling — 1 of warmth, community, and taste pride.

There’s Always More to Jamaica is much than marketing. It is an invitation to see, taste, and consciousness nan land successful ways that cannot beryllium recovered successful brochures. For visitors, it’s a chance to time off pinch much than photos; for communities, it’s a chance to thrive. And for Jamaica itself, it’s a measurement toward a much sustainable and inclusive tourism future.