About Us
The Tourism Enhancement Fund’s role is to lead tourism innovation in the areas of transformational infrastructural and sustainable projects, human capital development and tourism linkages through the applied utilization of research data.
Utilizing its resources, the TEF partners with local, international, public and private stakeholders to advance the strategies of the Ministry of Tourism and its Agencies.
Our Core functions include:
· Innovation
· Human Capital Development
· Tourism Linkages
· Collection of Fees from Incoming Air and Cruise Passengers
· Research and Development
· Sustainable Infrastructural Development
· Environmental Protection and Enhancement
· Financial Support for Small and Medium Tourism Enterprises
Our Mission
To facilitate the implementation of the Tourism Master Plan through prompt collection of fees, prudent management of funds, research and innovation and deployment of resources, in sustainable development toward the strengthening of Jamaica’s tourism industry.
Our Vision
For Jamaica to be the most sought-after tourist destination because of its natural beauty, warm and friendly people, well designed and attractive resort towns, rich culture, diverse attractions and commitment to the management and protection of the environment.
remember the past
Since 2004
In December 2004, the “Tourism Enhancement Act, 2004” was passed by Parliament. 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. However, the act was amended in 2017, and now allows for:
- A Tourism Enhancement Fee of US$20.00 to be charged to incoming airline passengers and US$2.00 to be charged to cruise passengers.
- The monies collected are paid over to the Collector of Taxes.
The Tourism Master Plan provides the framework in which the 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, and providing for the sustainable development of the tourism sector.
