TEF welcomes third cohort of Tourism Innovation Incubator

The Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), in partnership with the University of Technology, Jamaica (UTech) and ATL Automotive Limited, has welcomed 15 Jamaican entrepreneurs into the third cohort of its Tourism Innovation Incubator (TII).

The cohort, comprising 10 men and five women, was formally introduced during a meet-and-greet at the Audi showroom on Oxford Road in St Andrew.

Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett was scheduled to deliver the keynote address, but his message was presented by TEF Executive Director Dr Carey Wallace. In it, Bartlett issued four charges to the participants: build from what you know; build for people who have been overlooked; use technology while preserving the Jamaican soul; and commit to execution by finishing what you begin.

Bartlett argued that participants possess “an advantage that no overseas developer can purchase”. They have an innate understanding of Jamaica, its communities, culture, people and untapped opportunities.

“Use that knowledge as the foundation of what you build. Authenticity should not be added after the technology is completed; it should be embedded in the product from the beginning,” Bartlett’s notes stated.

He also contended that Generation Z is discovering and planning travel differently from previous generations, often making choices in digital spaces where traditional tourism businesses have limited reach.

“Your solution must account for how they search, communicate and transact. At the same time, do not overlook Generation X, the ‘Baby Boomers’, and our silver travellers, who bring loyalty and considerable spending power,” he said.

Bartlett encouraged participants to embrace artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies for research, prototype development, testing assumptions and reducing costs.

“However,” Bartlett said, “Technology should enhance Jamaica hospitality rather than erase it. Artificial intelligence can process a booking, translate a request, analyse data and recommend an experience, but it cannot replicate the warmth, intuition, humour and humanity of the Jamaican people.”

Addressing the challenges of entrepreneurship, he stressed that setbacks should not be viewed as failure.

“It is part of entrepreneurship. Listen to the evidence, accept constructive criticism, and adjust your model where necessary. Be willing to change direction when the market requires it, but do not let pride keep you committed to a solution customers do not need or will not purchase,” he said.

The cohort was selected from 218 applicants through an assessment process led by TEF and the programme’s business services intermediary, UTech Jamaica. Fifteen participants were chosen from a shortlist of 25.

Under a business services intermediary agreement signed on August 18, UTech Jamaica will provide training, mentorship, prototype development, financial-literacy training and business-development support.

The entrepreneurs are now embarking on an approximately seven-month programme focused on capacity building, business development, market validation, and investment readiness.

Their proposals span immersive tourism experiences, destination discovery and access, tourism intelligence and artificial intelligence, mobility and transportation, market access, digital commerce and financial inclusion. Accessibility, sustainability and community tourism are among the programme’s cross-cutting themes.

For the first time, the incubator will include AI-powered prototype development. Rather than simply receiving technical assistance and a finished prototype, participants will learn to build, test and refine their own solutions.

A completed prototype provides a product at a specific moment in time. The ability to improve and adapt it, however, offers a lasting capability that can be applied long after graduation.

Beginning with this cohort, TEF is also placing greater emphasis on the wider entrepreneurial ecosystem through a structured alumni programme, stronger pathways to investment readiness, and partnerships that will allow participants to test their solutions in real-world tourism settings.

Also addressing the gathering was TII alumna Shanya Connell, representing Cohort Two.

“My idea was about improving tourism transportation in Jamaica, for the people who work in the industry and for the visitors who come here. That idea would eventually become GemVoyage … I entered this programme as a student with an idea. I left as an entrepreneur with a registered limited liability company, a clear MVP (minimum viable product), a prototype and a much bigger vision for what GemVoyage could become,” she said.

Connell offered a final piece of advice to the new cohort: “Never give up on the problem you care about, but be willing to rethink the idea you thought would solve it. Every difficult question, every uncomfortable correction and every challenge you face here can refine both your business and you as an entrepreneur. Because, sometimes, the moment your idea gets broken is the moment your business begins. Protect the problem, not the solution.”