South Coast Towns Being Positioned For Rising Edutourism Demand

Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, says several towns along Jamaica’s south coast and adjoining areas are being positioned to capitalise on the rising demand for educational and knowledge-based travel.

He made the disclosure during a visit to the Appleton Estate Rum Tour in St. Elizabeth on Thursday (April 23), as part of the South Coast Confidence Tour.

Mr. Bartlett noted that destinations such as Mandeville in Manchester are already demonstrating strong potential to anchor this emerging segment of Jamaica’s tourism market.

“We’re looking at how to reposition Mandeville as a centre… for ‘edutourism’ [or] knowledge tourism, an important part of the psychographic profile of the market that we have not spent much time tapping into,” he said.

The Minister noted that the presence of multiple educational institutions in towns such as Mandeville, and Malvern in St. Elizabeth create opportunities to attract international students, researchers and academic visitors.

“These are townships that we’re looking at, because of the constellation of educational institutions that are there, and the drive across the world for knowledge and for people to travel for these experiences,” Mr. Bartlett added.

He also pointed to global examples where cities benefit from seasonal influxes of students and scholars seeking immersive learning experiences.

Mr. Bartlett explained that this approach forms part of a broader diversification strategy aimed at expanding Jamaica’s tourism product beyond traditional leisure offerings.

“We want to position some of our towns that have that capability as the ‘edutourism’ centres of Jamaica,” he noted.

Accompanying the Minister on the South Coast Confidence Tour were Permanent Secretary in the Tourism Ministry, Jennifer Griffith; Executive Director of the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), Dr. Carey Wallace; and Executive Director of the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo), Wade Mars.

The tour is showcasing a range of tourism opportunities across St. Elizabeth and neighbouring parishes, including heritage and ecological attractions, as Jamaica continues to advance its post-hurricane recovery and long-term growth strategy.