History of Tourism Action Clubs (TAC)

The Tourism Action Club (TAC) grew out of the annual JTB Summer Programme for schools. The Summer Programme was a 5-day seminar organized for groups of students from different schools Island wide. It involved panel discussions, workshop sessions, FAM (familiarization) trips, and competitions. The students attending this programme were also asked to design and start a tourism-related project.

Many of the students from the programme felt they wanted to complete the projects even after the programme had ended and several methods were developed to accommodate this. The most popular method was to form a club within each school. This was what led to the birth of the Tourism Action Club.

The Club provides a link to groups of students who have demonstrated an interest in Tourism. It also provides an easy channel through which the JTB can pass information to students to assist with their various assignments.

The first TAC to be formed was at the Excelsior High school in 1995. Since then the clubs grew in the secondary schools right across the island. After a few years, these students moved on to tertiary institutions with many of them actually pursing further studies in Hospitality & Tourism Management. These students indicated that they were missing the activities of TAC and still wanted to be a part of the program. As such, TAC was also introduced to tertiary institutions and the outcome is a vibrant tourism network among students of the secondary and tertiary level.