ʻO ka Caribbean Front Desk, ka mea i hoʻomaka mua ʻia (Mei 29), i hoʻokumu ʻia mai ka Tourism Innovation Incubator initiative i hoʻolauna ʻia e ka Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) i 2023. Ua hoʻolālā ʻia ka incubator ma ke ʻano he polokalamu virtual, e hoʻohana ana i nā lawelawe o nā incubators ʻē aʻe a me nā mea wikiwiki e hoʻokō i kāna hoʻolālā hana hou.
I kēia manawa ua laikini ʻia e ka Jamaica Tourist Board, ua lako piha ka Caribbean Front Desk no ka hana ʻana i loko o ke kaiaola kaiaola mākaʻikaʻi maʻamau o ka ʻāina - e hoʻoikaika ana i ka hilinaʻi ma waena o nā huakaʻi huakaʻi a me ka hoʻohālikelike ʻana i nā kūlana mākaʻikaʻi aupuni.
ʻOiai ua ʻike ʻia ka manaʻo ʻoihana ʻoihana he mea nui, ua ʻae ka lanakila o ka Incubator inaugural, ʻo Dr. Duane Chambers, ʻaʻole ʻo ia i manaʻo e alakaʻi i ka hana wiwo ʻole āna a me kāna wahine, ʻo Dr.
Ua wehewehe ʻo ia i ka Caribbean Front Desk ma ke ʻano he "hoʻohui pono i nā huakaʻi kuʻuna me nā hana olakino a maikaʻi hoʻi e hana i kahi huahana huakaʻi olakino-centric hou." ʻO ka paepae, e hoʻohana ana i kahi pūnaewele, manaʻo e noʻonoʻo hou i ka ʻike ʻana o ka poʻe huakaʻi i ke olakino mākaʻikaʻi ma Jamaica ma ka hoʻohui ʻana i nā ʻike hoʻomaha maʻamau me nā makana olakino a me nā lāʻau lapaʻau. Ua hana mua ʻo Dr. Chambers, he radiologist, i kahi ʻenekini hoʻopaʻa no ka mākaʻikaʻi ma mua o ke komo ʻana i ka hoʻokūkū hana hou. Ua wehewehe ʻo ia:
"ʻO ka mea maʻamau, ke ʻae nei mākou i nā poʻe e koho i nā hana olakino ʻē aʻe a ke kuhikuhi pū nei hoʻi i nā koho e huki ai i nā mākaʻikaʻi olakino."
Ma ke kamaʻilio ʻana i ka hoʻolaha ʻana, ua ʻōlelo ka Luna Hoʻokele o TEF, ʻo Dr. Carey Wallace, "ʻO ka wahi mākaʻikaʻi ʻoi aku ka maikaʻi ma mua o ke aloha ʻana i nā malihini a me ka hōʻike ʻana iā Jamaica; pono mākou i kēia manawa e lilo i ʻoi aku ka maʻalahi a me ka hoʻolālā. Ua ʻōlelo ʻo ia, "Inā ʻaʻole mākou e hoʻohana pono i nā ʻenehana i loaʻa, e hana ʻia nā mea ʻē aʻe, a i ka hana ʻana pēlā, lele lākou ma mua o mākou."
Ma ke kamaʻilio pū ʻana i nā malihini i ka hoʻomaka ʻana, ua haʻi ʻo Mrs. Burrell i ka Global Wellness Institute, ka Luna Hoʻokō Program ma Development Bank of Jamaica, me ka ʻike ʻana ua piʻi ka waiwai o ka mākaʻikaʻi maikaʻi mai US $ 439 biliona i 2012 a i US $ 830 biliona i 2023, ʻoiai nā pilikia i hoʻokumu ʻia e ka maʻi maʻi COVID-19. Kuhi ʻia e ʻoi aku ma mua o US $ 1.35 trillion e 2028.
Ua ʻōlelo ʻo ia, "ʻO ka mākaʻikaʻi maikaʻi ka ʻehā o ka māhele nui loa o ka mākeke olakino honua," a ua ʻōlelo ʻo ia e hōʻike ana kēia ulu ʻana i kahi manawa kūpono e mākaukau ai ka Caribbean Front Desk e hopu.
Me ka paepae e hāʻawi ana i ke komo ʻana i nā ʻike olakino maikaʻi ʻo Caribbean-e hoʻomaka ana me Jamaica-ua manaʻo ʻia e hoʻopili i ka poʻe huakaʻi honua me nā ʻoihana kūloko a "hana ma ke ʻano he alahaka ma waena o nā kuʻuna hohonu o Jamaica i nā lāʻau lapaʻau kūlohelohe a me nā nutraceuticals, a me ka ʻuhane o ka hana hou e wehewehe i ko mākou poʻe," wahi a Mrs. Burrell.
Ma ka haʻi ʻana i kēia he mea hou me ka hopena, ua hoʻohui ʻo ia, "Me nā hōʻoia olakino olakino a me nā hōʻoia ʻinikua ma ka lewa, ua hoʻonohonoho maikaʻi ʻia ka Caribbean Front Desk e hoʻonui i ka mākaʻikaʻi olakino, wehe i nā mākeke hou a hoʻonui i kona hopena.
ʻIke ʻia ma ke kiʻi nui: Hoʻokipaʻia ka Luna Hoʻokele o ka Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF),ʻo Dr. Carey Wallace (hema) i ka hoʻomakaʻana o ka Caribbean Front Office e Managing Director, Dr. Duane Chambers (3rd hema) i hoʻopiliʻia e Program Execution Officer me ka Development Bank of Jamaica, Debbie-Ann Burrell (2nd hema) a me Dr. Anusha Campbell-Chambers. ʻO Kauka Wallace lāua ʻo Mrs. Burrell nā mea haʻiʻōlelo ma ka hoʻolaha ʻana i ka Pōʻalima, Mei 29, 2025, ma ka hōkele Half Moon.
