Published: 2015-08-04 15:05:21

Minister of Transport, Works and Housing, Dr Omar Davies, has invited Jamaican companies to sponsor school children, particularly those from the inner city, to participate in the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) Kingston City Tours.

"These tours will be an important learning tool. Many children from the inner city have never been outside of their communities and will benefit from the tours," the Minister said.

Dr Davies was speaking at the inauguration ceremony for the Kingston City Tours on Saturday at the Half-Way-Tree Transport Centre.

The Minister also highlighted the fact that the tours would be enhancing the tourism product and that they will provide the country with the opportunity to put Jamaica on the world stage as being "equal to many and better than most."

He said that in looking towards 2016 when Ocho Rios (in St Ann) will be just 45 minutes away via the north south link of Highway 2000, a whole new range of possibilities in terms of tour opportunities will open up.

"I sincerely hope that private entrepreneurs will develop their own ideas about tours using JUTC as the service provider. Identify what we want to tell our own people about ourselves and create something," he urged.

The launch was followed by the inaugural Spirit of Reggae Tour, which took patrons to the Bob Marley Museum, Independence Park, Trench Town Culture Yard and Tuff Gong Studios.