About
Big Up Small Business is a TUI Care Foundation project, delivered by the Travel Foundation, that is creating new opportunities for up to 150 small-business entrepreneurs in Jamaica, so that more people can benefit from tourism.
Why? Small-business entrepreneurs are a vital part of any economy, most people rely on them for employment, they drive innovation and opportunity and contribute to a thriving local economy. With the right conditions, tourism has great potential to enable small businesses to prosper.
TUI Care Foundation
With the help of holidaymakers, the TUI Care Foundation is harnessing the positive impacts of tourism to make a difference for people and places in destinations around the world.
The Travel Foundation
The Travel Foundation is a leading global nonprofit, working with businesses & governments to maximise the benefits of tourism for communities and the environment.
“The Big Up Small Business project is now more important than ever due to the immense pressure on small businesses from the COVID-19 pandemic. Small businesses provide jobs and opportunities for thousands of individuals and local communities. Through this project, we aim to support small businesses to reclaim their rightful place as key engines of the Jamaican economy”
Jost Neumann, head of Economic Development at the TUI Care Foundation.
About the project
Our approach: We’re providing support to a whole range of exciting small businesses in Jamaica, so they can better connect with tourists and take advantage of the opportunities that tourism brings. Our training and resources are created for small businesses including artisans, accommodation providers, community enterprises, craft and food producers and micro excursion providers. Our focus is on supporting businesses to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and to better understand international market requirements.
Latest Activities
- At the end of 2019, we trained over 250 people running micro businesses, providing new opportunities to access the tourism market. The training included understanding how to meet international requirements and market to tourists. Businesses involved included attraction and excursion providers, accommodation providers including guest houses, B&Bs and villas.
- Over 90% of all participants trained so far have reported increased skills and awareness across a range of learning objectives.
- Following a pause in 2020 due to the pandemic, the project is now back up and running, with a focus on supporting SMMEs to recover and rebuild post-COVID, and with more training delivered online.
- Early in 2021, we launched two free resources, ‘Promoting your tourism business’ and ‘Financial schemes available to tourism SMMEs in Jamaica’.
- Following a detailed selection process, we are now also providing tailored support to seven small organisations, including help with marketing, promotion and capacity building.
- In 2022 we ran training webinars for small and medium tourism businesses in Jamaica, focusing on basic business skills, accessing finance, future-proofing businesses and digital marketing skills.
- All the resources from these sessions can be accessed here.
Our team
Coral Purvil-Williams
Jamaica Programme Coordinator
I have worked in the tourism industry in Jamaica for over 20 years and have been with the Travel Foundation since 2014. As Programme Coordinator, I am very excited to be working on the project aimed at increasing tourist footfall and spend and spreading the benefits of tourism to the local people.
Rebecca Armstrong
Sustainable Tourism Specialist
In 2008, I left my lawyer job for a new career in sustainable tourism and I’ve never looked back! First gaining an MSc in Responsible Tourism Management, I’ve since helped shape strategy and policy for destinations and businesses, as well as practical stakeholder engagement and capacity building.
