Agro tourism is vital - Tourism minister

The annual Denbigh Agricultural, Industrial and Food Show not only provides three days of fun and interesting activities, but it also gives stakeholders an opportunity to reflect on their progress while strategising for the future.

Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett was among the speakers on Sunday, day one of the 2019 edition, and he outlined how the linkages between tourism and agriculture are now more important than ever.

Bartlett revealed that 88 per cent of the world's travellers do so for the food experience. Another 42 per cent of the dollar spent on travel goes towards food, and each visitor consumes up to five eggs per day between breakfast, desserts and pastries.

"Agro tourism is a vital part of the experiences that are marketed all across the globe," he said, noting that Jamaica is still lagging behind in this area. "Agriculture is not just about providing the food that the visitor consumes, but it's part of the wider experience that visitors come to your country for. We need to understand that farms are huge areas of interest for millions of people."

Bartlett said that the way the foods are prepared and how Jamaicans arrange agricultural practices, hold great interest for people because Jamaicans have unique crops not found anywhere else in the world. These factors make Jamaica very attractive for visitors who want to learn more.

"When we examine the demand that exists for agriculture in our tourism arrangement, it's not just about the $40 billion in fresh fruits and vegetables calculated to be the demand. Of that amount, we are only able to provide 10 to 12 per cent," he said, as he challenged Jamaica Agricultural Society president Lenworth Fulton to drive that level of increase in the production of what the tourism sector demands.

Bartlett also said there was an even greater demand for meat and poultry, as well as eggs in liquid and regular form, in the tourism sector.

"If we were able to provide prime cuts of meat required by the world's bigger brands and high-end travellers, we would attract some of the top restaurant chains as well," said Bartlett. "The government of Jamaica, recognising this, has now approved for special fiscal consideration for prime cut meats so that Jamaica will be able in the future to compete in this high-end area of culinary arrangements in tourism."

He said that there are also plans to see how agriculture could be used for training and development to bring another cadre of visitors who are interested in edu-tourism, to learn more about the island's tropical plants and fruits.