IN RESPONSE TO the belief that there may not be enough hotel rooms to accommodate the throngs of visitors that are expected to flood the island for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007, The Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCO), the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) and the local organisers of the event, have created a bed and breakfast programme.
Persons interested in accommodating visitors in their homes, may apply to be a part of the programme. Hosts will be expected to provide accommodation and breakfast for their guests. According to a representative from the TPDCO, application forms and fact sheets are now available and this marks the start of the process.
She says the completed forms are reviewed and successful applicants are then offered 20 hours of training. Persons are offered basic hospitality training in areas like customer service, food handling and security. She added that it was realised that there might not be enough rooms and that only a small number of establishments are listed as bed and breakfasts.
The organisers of the programme are looking to secure 500 rooms across the island. It is also hoped that this programme will allow visitors "access to a complete taste of Jamaica." The aim, she says is for visitors to get a "home stay" and to stay with a family. The program is expected to run at least from March 5 to April 28, the duration of the event.
As it relates to the issue of safety, she says visitors would not be placed in volatile areas and added that as with any other country, there are certain cities that people would not go to.
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