For seven consecutive days ending December 3, Prime Minister P J Patterson became a tour guide of sorts as he took Peter Greenberg, regarded as the United States’ top expert on travel and travel-related issues, on a whirlwind tour across Jamaica.

Patterson’s effort was in support of the filming of the Discovery and Travel channels’ The Royal Tour, which is basically a travelogue that projects destinations through the eyes of the head of state.

Among the world leaders who have appeared on The Royal Tour are the King of Jordan, Abdullah II bin Al Hussein; the prime minister of New Zealand, Helen Clark; and the president of Peru, Alejandro Toledo Manrique.

“The Royal Tour has provided a great opportunity for Jamaica to be seen as a destination offering diverse experiences in addition to the traditional sun, sand and sea,” said Patterson who fitted the show’s hectic early-morning through late-night itinerary into his busy daily schedule.

Throughout the seven days of filming, Patterson, 69, guided the film crew to sites and attractions which he had selected for the show, including the historic old town of Port Royal; the Bob Marley Museum where he and Greenberg were met by Rita Marley and family; adventurous ATV biking at Chukka Cove; a climb up Dunn’s River Falls; a visit to Jake’s where the prime minister joined in the performance of a mento band; and coastal cruises on the MY Zein and Calico Jack.

One scene was filmed on Blue Mountain Peak where Patterson shared Blue Mountain coffee and fresh Jamaican fruits with Greenberg during an interview in the early morning sunlight.

“I must say getting up there at an hour with the sun just rising and the clouds really on top of us moving very quickly was an amazing sight to see in a country that most Americans have never really truly explored,” said Greenberg.

Greenberg is the Travel Channel’s chief correspondent and is best known as the travel editor for NBC’s Today Show. He is also the Emmy award-winning writer and producer, and author of the recent New York Times bestseller, The Travel Detective.

The programme on Jamaica, titled Jamaica: The Royal Tour, is scheduled to be aired next year to a combined audience of approximately 331 million homes worldwide.

It was that sort of reach and its potential spin-off for Jamaica’s tourism that apparently influenced Patterson’s decision to accept the producers’ invitation.

“The widespread positive publicity that this programme will generate will be phenomenal,” Patterson said. “I believe that the time spent was a worthwhile investment in our tourism product. It was a joy to assist.”

Greenberg was very thankful for the wealth of information provided by the prime minister, who is also a former minister of tourism.

According to the Jamaica Tourist Board, which assisted in getting the show here, Patterson “spoke with enthusiasm about the island’s cultural heritage, history and geography, enhancing the tour by his in-depth knowledge of the island, its people and things Jamaican”.

In addition to the filmed segments, which were covered by the New Yorker magazine, Greenberg also conducted an interview with Patterson on ABC radio.