![]() ![]() How has your work enhanced your appreciation of Jamaica? The number one thing you have to have is perseverance, and you have to be willing to understand and find a way through the system of how Jamaica works and how this particular industry works and know the people in the industry from your competitors to your supporters. What quality do you need to make this kind of business successful? What I have learned is to find out what their expectations are and find the tour that matches those expectations even if I have to change the tour at the last minute. It is best to explain to the guest what they are going to experience and make any adjustments they might want. It's always best to go over the tour with the guest before you embark on the tour and I do it twice with them. It could be the same experience, but the way you go about it, interacting with them and showing them can be different. You have to be able to know what each guest is like and then tailor that experience to that guest. How do you ensure a happy and satisfied experience?Ĭustomer service. We have great conversations and they learn a lot. I am sharing my life with them and my own little twist on how I experience things. It makes me feel like I have done my job. ![]() They will tell me they felt safe and had a good time. A lot of times they tell me it wasn't what they had expected. When my guests are happy with their experience in Jamaica. What is the most rewarding part of the job? I constantly try to keep my knowledge up to speed with the help of the Jamaica Tourist Board and my own research at the museums and historical places and through reading. How do you stay competitive as a tour guide? For many assistant tour guides that is too much. If you are swimming in Portland and you don't want to swim alone, I swim with you. If we are hiking in the Blue Mountains we are hiking together. I go everywhere with the guests so if they are climbing Dunn's River Falls we are climbing it together. After the first experience many guides say it is too much to commit to because of the requirements. My biggest challenge has been to find good assistant tour guides when necessary. What is your biggest operational challenge? What is the hardest part of running a one-man tour company at the age of 50? Jackson gave us some illuminating answers. The Jamaica Observer sat down with the entrepreneur to ask questions about the challenges, demands and rewards of running a one-man tour company. Drinks at Tracks and Records was the icing on the cake.” “We felt like we saw so much more of Kingston with you than we would have done as 'independent' travellers. “Thank you for taking such good care of us in Kingston,” expressed one satisfied customer. The close personal relationship that Jackson nurtures with his guests is reflected in the positive reviews on his website: The excursions range from Blue Mountain tours, culture, nature and city tours which involve sites like Devon House, Bob Marley museum, Blue Hole hidden falls, Lime Cay, White River tubing, a coffee tour and a lot more. Jackson utilises transportation companies when necessary and sometimes he may hire assistant tour guides for particular jobs but ultimately FIWI is a personalised service and a one-man operation that offers tours around Jamaica. He came back to Jamaica with the intention of going into both catering and the tourism industry but eventually focused only on the tour business. Jackson lived in the United States for most of his adult life and worked in the IT industry. Harvel Jackson is a 50-year-old tour guide and entrepreneur who operates a Kingston-based business called FIWI Jamaica Experience Tours. The popular Dunn's River Falls in Ocho Rios, St Ann, which is visited by almost one million people peryear ![]()
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