BOSCOBEL, St Mary — Three students, all female, have made it to the final round of the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) Junior Minister of Tourism competition. The winner, who will be selected in August, will represent Jamaica at the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) Congress in the Turks Caicos Islands this October.

The trio — Deja Bremmer from The Manning’s School, Olivia Rodney from Jose Marti Technical, and Yeshima Thompson from Excelsior Community College — stood out during round one of the competition held at Beaches Ocho Rios last Thursday.

The competitors were each tasked to deliver a three-minute speech based on the theme ‘Wellness beyond the norm’.

The JTB’s Tourism Awareness Officer Abigail Henry was pleased with the performances and spoke to the importance of the competition in shaping the sector.

“The ladies did well and they will receive further training and participate in workshops to prepare for the regional competition,” said Henry.

“We take the tourism product seriously and it is very important to involve the next generation and allow them to add their voice and views on what is happening in tourism in the region and also allow them to learn how they can insert themselves into tourism,” Henry added.

Seventeen-year-old Thompson was grateful for the opportunity.

“It is good that they invited us students to be a part of competitions like this so we can have our input in what’s going on in the tourism sector. It also enables us to know that there are great things for us to achieve,” she told the Jamaica Observer.

Tourism teacher at Jose Marti Technical Sheldon Haye sees the competition as an ideal way for students to familiarise themselves with the product. He spoke of the work Rodney had to do to prepare.

“This is a good competition because it really gets the students involved in tourism; they do a lot of research to write their speeches. It also helps a lot with the learning process because these competitions will help them to understand the fundamentals of tourism,” said Haye.

Sixteen-year-old Rodney said the competition significantly boosted her self-confidence.

“I gained a lot from being in this competition. I have better public speaking skills because I was really nervous going in. I’m also more knowledgeable about the tourism sector, which is very interesting,” Rodney told the Observer.

The contest’s role in boosting public speaking skills was a recurring theme among competitors.

“This competition is to get students involved in tourism and allow us to explore the sector. I especially loved it because I’m developing a passion for public speaking and this was the perfect opportunity. It has helped me a lot to get over my fear of speaking before a crowd,” said 15-year-old Bremmer.

Jamaica won the regional competition back in 2018, and the JTB is pushing to emerge winner again this year.

General manager at Beaches Ocho Rios, Charles Blacher, who was also in attendance at the competition, spoke to the importance of the tourism sector and told the competitors that they have chosen the right path to explore.

“I state without any doubt that tourism-related jobs is the way to go. I always say that once you apply yourself and receive the recognition and rankings, the world is your oyster. You can go anywhere; hospitality is an opportunity to travel the world,” said Blacher.