Government of Jamaica
If your new year, new me glow has not yet faded, then chances are, you are still working on some of your goals. If that’s the case, then cheers to success and a fulfilling journey. In fact, there seems to be a growing interest in entrepreneurship, particularly in recent times. At TPDCo, we get numerous requests for information on how to get a business started and licensed, in fact, around the new year, those requests seem to get even more popular.
Licensing is a service done by TPDCo to ensure that tourism businesses are up to standard. This process helps to protect not only the sector and the client/customer but also the business itself, which means you will be benefitting as well.
TPDCo licenses a myriad of businesses in various categories. These include Accommodations/homestays, attractions, watersports, car rentals, tour operators, places of interest, craft traders and more. This process is not simple, and it takes quite a few steps to be completed, especially with the COVID-19 pandemic still hanging around.
Based on the nature of the business, certain documents are necessary to begin the process. Should you be starting an apartment, guest hose/villa for instance, then you need documents such as a copy of registration of the business name, TRN, Copy of title etc.
These documents should be submitted to the Licensing Processing Unit at TPDCo, after which an assessment of both the documents and the property will be done. The property visits are done by our Product Quality Officers and a report submitted to the Licensing Processing unit.
Once all requirements are met, then the information is submitted to the Jamaica Tourist Board for review at a monthly board meeting. Once approved, the license is prepared by TPDCo, signed by JTB and issued to the business!
We like to encourage that although the steps may sound laborious, it is intended for your protection, those of your guests and with a successful business, then you are making a path of generational success.
After all, Rome wasn’t built in a day!
Keep at it and start your business the right way.
If you need more information, contact us at 876 968 3441/ letusknow@tpdco.org / @tpdcoja on social media or visit the link below.
https://www.tpdco.org/license-application/
Note that all licence fees have been waived until March 2022