JHTA boss pleased with infusion of more Jamaicans in tourism entertainment

WESTERN BUREAU:

Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) President Robin Russell says Jamaican companies are increasingly being contracted to provide entertainment in the tourism industry, a shift that is reflecting the growing integration of local talent into the sector.

Speaking with The Gleaner during the Jamaica Centre for Tourism Innovation Career Expo at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in St James last Thursday, Russell noted that while entertainment in the past was often outsourced to foreign troupes or established international companies, local businesses are now stepping into the spotlight.

“I think we’re far advanced when you look at where we are coming from when these troupes came in. We are seeing a lot of training, and we are seeing a lot of Jamaicans now integrated into those business structures,” said Russell.

Russell further explained that changes in the business model had once created barriers for local entertainers, where traditionally, companies contracted full entertainment packages rather than individual performers, which limited opportunities for some Jamaicans.

“That was the big problem, it’s not that Jamaicans were pushed out,” Russell said. “It was just that a different business structure came in where people were no longer contracting individuals, they would just go to a company and say, ‘I need this level of entertainment’, and it was provided.

“We are seeing now that more Jamaican companies are getting into the market and more Jamaicans getting involved in actually doing the entertainment.”

Russell, who is the managing director of Deja All-inclusive Resort on Jimmy Cliff Boulevard in Montego Bay, noted that, while more Jamaicans are back in the entertainment side of the tourist industry, and are exposed to some level of training, proper training remains a concern.

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With this in mind, he lauded the Tourism Linkages Network and the Jamaica Centre of Tourism Innovation (JCTI) for launching an Entertainment Academy.

“We are lacking [in entertainment training] and am happy that the JCTI, through linkages, has set up the entertainment academy, where they are going to be training our kids in the art of music to be successful,” added Russell. “The establishment of the Entertainment Academy is a move that is part of a broader strategy to increase local participation in tourism and retain more of the industry’s economic benefits within Jamaica.”

Shanice Ennis, a student at Rhodes Hall High School, in Hanover, told The Gleaner that she is seeking to find a career in the entertainment section of the lucrative hospitality industry.

“I am trying to learn every single aspect of the entertainment side of the tourist industry so that I can prepare myself properly as a career choice,” Ennis said, while checking out the Main Event booth at the career expo.

“I am here to learn more about the entertainment side of the tourist industry because I realise that I enjoyed singing and dancing. However, I am also seeking out the requirements for event management, stage management,” she said.

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