The development of productive and fully integrated linkages between the Agri-Food Sector and Tourism in the Caribbean Region offers significant potential for repositioning and broad-based growth in the Agriculture value chain, and opportunities for channelling the Region’s diversity and building-in genuine competitiveness and sustainability in the tourism product. Forging Agriculture-Tourism linkages capitalizes on the inherent ability of the Tourism sector to diversify the Caribbean economy, stimulate entrepreneurship, catalyse investment and assist in wider social development in local communities. Such linkages offer unprecedented  opportunities to stem and reverse the declines in traditional agriculture, stimulate the rapid growth in “new‟ agriculture and build resilience and sustainability of Caribbean economies. The latter is particularly critical for reducing the high levels of foreign exchange leakage in tourism, preserving cultural identity, reducing poverty in local communities and enhancing local awareness and good practices with respect to climate change and environmental issues. Goal: To provide a mechanism for managing and increasing the local and regional development impact of Tourism and Agriculture through the creation of a collaborative and inclusive planning and implementation framework that can drive trade and new business between the two sectors. Objectives ·         To promote linkages between the agrifood sector and the tourism industry to increase sustainable sourcing through the strengthening of agritourism policy and strategy in the Caribbean ·         To increase the understanding and awareness of the current deficiencies in the supply of fresh and processed agricultural products along the value chain and the actions needed ·         To design inter-sectoral and inclusive policies which promote PPPs for improved local food use and consumption. ·         To identify concrete regional projects that can be supported under the intra ACP EU funding.

1. Agro-Tourism
Technical
Working
Group
Enhancing Linkages Between
Agriculture and Tourism Sectors
Presenter: Ainsworth Riley
Tourism Linkages
Network Jamaica

2. Selected Agro-tourism Sector Statistics
• Number of hotel rooms 22,553
(2017)
• Average annual visitor arrivals 4.3M
(Stopovers 2.2 M)
• Average length of stay 8.2 nights
• Estimated value of the demand for
agriculture products by the tourism
sector US$293M (2018) and US3.2B
for manufactured products
• Number of farmers 212,024 (80%
producing on 2.5 acres)
7%
9%
9%
75%
Contribution of The Tourism and
Agricultural Sectors to Jamaica's GDP
Agriculture Tourism Manufacturing Other

3. Estimated Value
(US$) of
Agricultural
Products
Demanded by
the Tourist
Sector
Products Value (US$) Percentage (%)
Poultry meat & sea food 220,143,798 75.1
Fruits 28,531,348 9.7
Vegetables 18,697,162 6.4
Herbs 15,137,012 5.2
Cereals and grains 5,282,554 1.8
Tubers 3,943,342 1.3
Other fresh produce 686,643 0.2
Legumes 393,648 0.1
Teas 176,549 0.1
Total 292,992,055

4. Estimated Leakage
in the Agricultural
Sector due to
Imports by the
Tourism Sector
Products Value (US$)
Leakage as a
Percentage (%)
of Demand
Poultry meat & sea
food 68,995,084 31
Fruits 4,681,740 16
Vegetables 3,094,014 17
Herbs 5,707,981 38
Cereals and grains 2,213,953 42
Tubers 752,563 19
Other fresh produce 69,041 10
Legumes 106,646 27
Teas 16,630 9
Total 85,637,652

5. Source: Tourism Demand Study 2019

6. Cross Sector Issues

7. Tourism Linkages Network
• The Tourism Linkages Network was approved by Cabinet decision
and established in June 2013 to fulfill the Ministry of Tourism’s
mandate to create and sustain linkages throughout productive
industries. The Network is funded by the Ministry of Tourism's
Tourism Enhancement Fund.

8. Objectives
The primary objective of the
Tourism Linkages Network is to
increase the consumption of goods
and services that can be
competitively sourced locally.
It also aims to create employment
while generating and retaining the
country’s foreign exchange earning
potential.

9. Operational Structure
Tourism Enhancement
Fund (TEF)
Tourism Linkages
Council
(Headed by Mr. Adam Stewart)
Chairpersons of the respective
Technical Working Groups
Technical Working
Groups
Gastronomy
•Sports and Entertainment
•Agri-Tourism
•Manufacturing
Houses the
Linkages Secretariat

10. Operational Structure
• Tourism Linkages Council
comprised of key public and
private sector partners oversees
the coordination and
implementation of effective and
sustainable strategies to
strengthen and facilitate linkages;
established in June 2013
• Technical support is provided by
Agriculture and Manufacturing
Technical Working Groups (TWGs)
and Entertainment Advisory Board
(EAB) which work closely with the
Tourism Linkages Network to
identify and address specific issues
that may emerge from time to
time to prevent minimize leakages
and strengthen linkages

11. Composition of The Agri-Tourism Working
Group
Chaired by Dr. Derrick Deslandes
Members include:
• Rural Agricultural Development
Authority (RADA)
• Planning Institute of Jamaica
(PIOJ)
• JAMPRO
• Inter-American Institute for
Cooperation on Agriculture
• Ministry of Industry Commerce
Agriculture and Fisheries
(MICAF)
• Jamaica Hotel and Tourist
Association (JHTA)
• Jamaica Agricultural Society
(JAS)
• Agricultural Investment
Authority AIC

12. Composition of The Agri-Tourism Working
Group

13. Activities
JAPEX Linkages Event
Christmas in July
Event
Tourism Linkages
Speed Networking
Event
Tourism Demand
Study
Stakeholder
Consultation
Farmers Market
Agri-Linkages
Exchange Platform
(ALEX)
Berry Sector
Study/protective
structures

14. Christmas in July

15. Coffee Festival

16. THANK YOU!