Forging the link in linkages
The Tourism Linkages Network (TLN) was established as an initiative to increase the tourism sector’s consumption of goods and services that can be competitively sourced locally. Delivering billions in retained earnings over the years, the body said it remains committed to ensuring that there is a reduction in the purchasing gap between tourism and other sectors.
Since its inception in 2013, when it was then referred to as the Tourism Linkages Hub, the body has been working closely with related industries, including manufacturing, agriculture, and entertainment, to retain and share the gains of the tourism dollar as it pushes to expand the value chain, reduce poverty, promote community growth, and increase foreign exchange generation for the local economy.
Backed by the work of the TLN, the tourism sector is moving to advance its mission of earning annual revenues of US$5 billion, grow job opportunities, and increase hotel room stocks to meet the growing demand of stopover arrivals. Badly affected by the novel coronavirus pandemic, the tourism sector is now on the road to recovery, welcoming over one million visitors up to May. According to Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett, the sector is now on track to meet its 2022 projection of delivering 3.2 million in visitor arrivals and US$3.3 billion in total revenues. In line with its continued success and resilience, the tourism sector is also being positioned to further linkages with other industries.
Supported by a network of working groups, there is now a concerted push to match the supplies of local goods and services with the expanding needs of the tourist sector. Adding five new networks, the Tourism Linkages Council now comprises seven linkages, the first two being agriculture and manufacturing along with the new areas of gastronomy, sports and entertainment, health and wellness, shopping, and knowledge networks. The TLN, headed by Carolyn McDonald Riley, is regulated by the larger Tourism Linkages Council, currently chaired by hotelier and businessman Adam Stewart.
The Tourism Linkages Council was established to provide general oversight and guidance on all matters related to the tourism linkages initiative as it monitors the progress of strategies to strengthen linkages between tourism and other sectors of focus.
The council is made up of a number of public and private sector interests, including permanent secretaries, presidents, executive directors, and other individual industry experts and comprises organisations such as Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO), Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS), Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters Association (JMEA), EXIM Bank, Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA), and the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ).
The TLN, which was conceptualised to bridge the gaps that existed between the tourism sector and other local industries, provides information about the various products and services which can be supplied to the tourism industry by the local agriculture, agro-processing, manufacturing, and services sectors. Its stakeholders believe that if farmers, manufacturers, and other key service providers are able to seriously tap into the tourism sector, then the country could significantly reduce its imports, boost local production, provide more jobs, and secure higher levels of economic growth, which the country desperately needs.
From the buildout of new technologies including the Agri Linkages Exchange (ALEX) platform and the taste Jamaica app, to the staging of major events such as Christmas in July, Jamaica Coffee festival, and the development of documentaries and a number of programmes and forums, the TLN, through various projects, has been working to increase investment and earnings across industries.
Riley, speaking on the work of the TLN, said that, while the body has been actively executing its objectives, there was no complacence as there are gaps which it is working to perfect.
“Currently, we are conducting a supply chain study — we’ve already done one for demand, so we know what the demands are. We anticipate to complete this in another two months so we can look at where our real strengths lie, in terms of what it is that we can supply competitively so we can focus on these and open the areas lacking for imports,” she told the Jamaica Observer.
Given TLN’s large portfolio, which cuts across diverse areas, Riley, in advocating for greater involvement, cited the need for more human capital, especially as TLN works to deliver on its large volume of projects.
“More funding is also needed so that we can invest more in the other areas calling for greater investments,” she added.
Sharing an outlook for the way forward, Riley said that TLN, while purposed and positioned to effectively carry out its mandate, still has some room to grow as there remains a number of opportunities of which it wants to take advantage.
“There is so much untapped potential that we have not yet exploited. I think there is a lot of black gold to be mined from our creative space so that we can produce far more value-added services.
“This will, however, call for greater collaboration with other entities and more training. I believe there is a lot more that can be done, in terms of connecting even the very basic dots. We’ve started the work and we are chipping at it bit by bit as we work to get it done, but we definitely need more hands,” she said to Sunday Finance.