Tourism Enhancement Fund

The “Tourism Enhancement Act, 2004” was passed by Parliament in December 2004.

This Act provided the legal basis for the Ministry of Tourism to establish a mechanism for the collection of a small fee from incoming airline and cruise passengers.

Specifically, the Act allows for:
i. A Tourism Enhancement Fee of US$10.00 to be charged to incoming airline passengers and US$2.00 to be charged to cruise passengers.
ii. The monies collected is paid into a dedicated Tourism Enhancement Fund

The fund was established on May 1, 2005 for the sole purpose of implementing the recommendations emanating from the Master Plan for Sustainable Tourism Development, 2002.

The Tourism Master Plan provides the framework in which TEF will fulfill its mandate of promoting growth and development in the tourism sector, encouraging better management of environmental resources in the Island, enhancing the overall tourist experience in the Island, and providing for the sustainable development of the tourism sector.

Vision
The Vision of the Tourism Enhancement Fund is to see Jamaica as the most sought after tourist destination because of the following attributes:
• natural beauty
• warm and friendly people
• well designed and attractive resort towns
• diverse attractions
• environmentally friendly posture

Organizational Structure

The Fund is managed by a Board of thirteen Directors who are experienced in matters relating to tourism and finance. There is a small, tight, highly qualified management team which works synergistically with the TPDCo and other relevant government agencies to carry out the mandate of the Master Plan for Sustainable Tourism Development.