KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo) will be staging its 2024 Licensing Expo across the six resort areas, beginning Tuesday, June 11 at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in St James.

Other locations include the Board Walk Shopping Village in Negril, Westmoreland, on June 20; Hibiscus Lodge in Ocho Rios, St Ann, on July 4; Hotel Tim Bamboo in Portland on July 9; the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in New Kingston on July 16, and Bred’s Sports Complex in St Elizabeth on July 23.

TPDCo’s License Processing and Registration Manager, Sheryl Lewis said the expo will enable business owners to access personalised consultations and address specific licensing needs, queries and benefits from key government stakeholders.

“We are going to have insurance companies that are going to be there to provide insurance information because when you are being licensed as a tourism entity, you actually need to have insurance,” she informed.

Lewis indicated that the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) will also be participating to assist persons requiring information about beach licences or other ecotourism-related matters.

Other slated participating entities are JN Small Business Loans, First Global Bank, Companies Office of Jamaica, the Maritime Authority of Jamaica, the Public Health Department, and Jamaica Fire Brigade along with Municipal Corporations in each of the resort areas.

Persons attending can also have their Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) licence applications processed on the spot.

“If you want to apply for the renewal of your licence, come down with the application and we will go through it. Once everything is OK, we will accept the payment through our point-of-sale machine,” Lewis indicated.

The TPDCo Licensing Expo was first held in 2022 as ‘Bring Your Application Day’ before being rebranded.

It has since become a cornerstone event for Jamaica’s tourism sector, bringing together key regulatory agencies, insurance providers, financial institutions and business consultants under one roof.

The TPDCo is the central agency mandated by the government to facilitate the maintenance, development, and enhancement of tourism.

It is also charged, on behalf of the Jamaica Tourist Board, to process applications for entities requiring a JTB licence.

— JIS