• TUI Care Foundation pledges over half a million Euros to support hospitality education for underserved youth and upcycling initiatives to reduce waste in Jamaica

• Destination Zero Waste Jamaica sets up a waste collection system and an upcycling centre which will transform discarded glass and plastic waste into new products, creating employment for up to 300 locals

• TUI Academy Jamaica provides 120 young people with vocational training and connects them with employment opportunities

Much of the waste produced in Jamaica either ends up in already-limited landfill space or is improperly discarded, polluting oceans, rivers and gullies. As a major tourist destination, Montego Bay, tourism businesses - hotels, restaurants, bars, and entertainment venues - produce thousands of metric tonnes of plastic and glass waste that also end up in landfills. To address this challenge, the TUI Care Foundation has partnered with the local NGO Smilozone Cares to launch the Destination Zero Waste programme in Montego Bay. This initiative includes the setup of an innovative upcycling centre, which will support youth development. It will offer training in recycling techniques and empower young people to create marketable products from discarded materials, fostering environmental stewardship, income generation, and employment for up to 300 individuals. Tourists and other visitors to the centre will also be encouraged to participate in eco-friendly practices through interactive scavenger hunts and immersive upcycling tours offered by local tour operators.

The programme also mobilises tourism businesses, restaurants, entertainment venues and local communities to establish a robust recycling and waste collection network. Destination Zero Waste Jamaica emphasises community engagement through workshops on waste management and establishes environmental clubs in schools to educate and inspire young people.

The project is part of the TUI Care Foundation’s Destination Zero Waste Programme, which inspires new ways to reduce and reuse waste in tourism destinations that create jobs and promote a circular economy. Projects are currently active in destinations like Curacao, Mauritius, Zanzibar, Cyprus, or Tunisia.

In its educational field of engagement, the TUI Care Foundation is now collaborating with the Institute of Vocational Education and Skills Training (INVEST) to launch the TUI Academy in Jamaica, which will train 120 disadvantaged young people with the knowledge and skills essential to succeed in the competitive job market. The programme is responding to a critical shortage of skilled labour in the tourism and hospitality industry to meet its growing demands. Against this backdrop, communities in the vicinity grapple with social challenges, poverty and a deficit in essential skills.

The new TUI Academy aims to tackle this challenge head-on by focusing on young people from underserved communities, providing them with targeted vocational training as well as practical skills that align with the needs of the sector, whilst fostering personal and professional growth. The programme offers courses in Housekeeping, Food and Beverage Service, Culinary Skills and Tour Guiding. All of them combine theoretical education and transformative life skills coaching, focusing on essential areas such as conflict resolution, emotional intelligence and social support, including substance abuse prevention. The classroom component is succeeded by a practical placement with partner tourism businesses, which allows trainees to receive invaluable work experience and potential internship and job placement opportunities after graduation.

This programme is part of the TUI Care Foundation’s TUI Academy, which offers vocational training for disadvantaged young people to access high quality education, work experience, life skills coaching and a brighter future. Projects are currently active in Thailand, Kenya, Zanzibar, Morocco, Dominican Republic, Montenegro, Senegal, Sri Lanka and Cape Verde.