Jamaica turns to AI to reshape tourism

WESTERN BUREAU:

Jamaica is accelerating its use of artificial intelligence to sell the destination, predict visitor demand and help tourism businesses operate more efficiently as the country positions technology at the centre of its next phase of industry growth.

Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett says AI and other digital technologies are already being incorporated into destination marketing, visitor services, workforce training and crisis management, as Jamaica marked World Tourism Day Sunday.

The shift forms part of what Bartlett describes as the country’s Tourism 3.0 growth agenda, which is intended to marry technology with sustainable and people-centred development.

“We are moving past guesswork,” Bartlett said in his World Tourism Day message.

He said smart digital platforms are increasingly connecting travellers directly with Jamaican experiences, while giving hotels tools to forecast demand, improve operations and reduce waste.

Among the initiatives being pursued are multilingual digital concierges to assist visitors with bookings; centralised data dashboards to identify travel trends and sharpen marketing; AI-assisted training programmes, and “AI clinics” for small tourism businesses.

The Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) is also using an AI-powered chatbot to provide 24-hour assistance to potential visitors.

Technology is being deployed beyond marketing. Bartlett said the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre is using advanced technologies to help anticipate disruptions that could affect the industry.

The increased reliance on technology comes as artificial intelligence rapidly changes the way travellers research destinations, plan vacations and make bookings.

Jamaica is seeking to ensure that its hotels, attractions and other tourism experiences can be discovered and understood by the digital platforms increasingly influencing those decisions.

Training and upskilling

Bartlett said the transformation must also extend to the industry’s workforce.

Training and upskilling are among the Government’s priorities as AI changes existing tourism jobs and creates new career opportunities.

That focus will be taken directly to young Jamaicans during Tourism Awareness Week, which runs from September 27 to October 3 under the theme, ‘Digital Agenda and Artificial Intelligence to Redesign Tourism’.

Among the activities planned is a Tourism AI Youth Forum aimed at exposing students to the ways technology is reshaping the industry and creating new career paths.

The Jamaica Centre for Tourism Innovation will also stage a Hospitality and Tourism AI Workshop for industry stakeholders.

Bartlett said the technological push is intended to support Jamaica’s longer-term ambition of attracting 10 million visitors and earning US$10 billion from tourism over the next decade.

But he argued that technological transformation cannot come at the expense of the people and culture on which Jamaica’s tourism product depends.

“Embracing this digital agenda helps us to future-proof our tourism industry while keeping a firm focus on protecting our environment and preserving our local culture,” he said.

Tourism Awareness Week activities began with a church service at Faith Temple Assemblies of God in Montego Bay and will also include an Experience Jamaica programme offering discounts to Jamaicans at participating hotels and attractions, a speaker series in Tourism Action Club schools and stakeholder engagement activities.

Bartlett urged tourism businesses, communities and other stakeholders to embrace the technological changes while ensuring that their benefits reach Jamaicans.

“Together, we can harness innovation to rethink what tourism can be: an industry that uplifts communities, safeguards our heritage and builds a more sustainable, inclusive and prosperous future for all,” he said.

janet.silvera@gleanerjm.com