FALMOUTH, Trelawny — With about 3,000 people turning out for this year’s staging of the Artisan Village Food Festival in Falmouth, tourism officials are hoping this increase in popularity will translate into more visitors to the venue outside of staged shows. About 2,000 people were at last year’s event.

“Whether you come at the food fest or otherwise, it’s open with so many of our outstanding Jamaican artisans supplying and showcasing outstanding Jamaican products, art and craft, displays and experience,” Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) Executive Director Dr Carey Wallace told journalists during the early stages of the event last Thursday.

He noted the Artisan Village’s range of local craft, products, and culinary experiences, including rum-tasting, and lessons in how to make Jamaican jerk. All that and more was on display at the food festival staged on Independence Day.

“We bring all the outstanding culinarians — wherever they are across Jamaica. We find them, and we bring them here to this one location at the Artisan Village, where they showcase and present all their culinary delights for Jamaicans to enjoy,” said Wallace.

Staged by the Ministry of Tourism through the TEF, the third staging of the festival brought together culinary practitioners from across the island, along with artisans and creatives, for a celebration of Jamaican food, culture, and enterprise. The event also featured live performances, headlined by reggae artiste Wayne Marshall.

Reggae artiste Wayne Marshall performing at the Artisan Village Food Festival in Falmouth on Independence Day.

Wallace said the festival was designed to give Jamaicans and visitors an opportunity to experience the breadth of the country’s culinary offerings while providing a platform for local food entrepreneurs to promote and grow their businesses.

The Artisan Village was conceptualised by Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett as part of efforts to create spaces where authentic Jamaican products can be developed, displayed and sold. Pointing to the significant proportion of visitor spending that goes towards food, the minister made the point — during the festival — that food represents one of the biggest opportunities for Jamaica to retain a greater share of tourism earnings.

“Food is 42 per cent of the consumption of tourist visitors all over the world,” Bartlett said, arguing that Jamaica must increase local production to meet that demand.

He said this approach will be central to “Tourism 3.0”, which seeks to deepen the link between tourism and agriculture by encouraging farmers to produce more of the foods demanded by the industry.

Bartlett cited opportunities for Trelawny to increase yam production, St Mary to produce more bananas, and St Elizabeth to expand output of melons, thyme, lettuce, and cabbage.

Members of the Artisan Village in Falmouth’s entertainment cast performing at the Artisan Village Food Festival on Independence Day.

He said Jamaica’s challenge was not a lack of quality products, but insufficient scale.

“People know the wonderful little things that we do, but we do them in small quantities. We now have to scale up,” urged the tourism minister.

To achieve this, he outlined a three-pronged approach focused on building capacity, providing financing, and expanding marketing opportunities. The Government’s EXIM Bank programme provides $1 billion in financing for small businesses, with loans of up to $25 million available at 4.5 per cent interest and repayable over five years, Bartlett said. The Artisan Village, he added, represents the marketing component of the strategy, providing a physical space for producers to showcase their goods, while digital platforms are being used to extend their reach to visitors and the wider tourism market.

“This is a way that we are going to make sure that more of tourism wealth stays in Jamaica,” Bartlett said.

He argued that the strong growth in attendance at the Artisan Village Food Festival signals increasing interest in authentic Jamaican culinary experiences and underscores the potential of gastronomy, agriculture, and local enterprise to help Jamaica capture a greater share of tourism spending.