NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Friday, January 10, 2014

Olympic 100-meter champion Usain Bolt trails far behind the beaches in the results of image searches for Jamaica.

Google image searches first show hundreds of beaches, followed by Bolt, bikini-clad girls, Bob Marley and then more paradisiacal beaches. On the web, Jamaica cannot seem to move beyond these stereotypical images highlighting the country’s tourist attractions, sensuality and Olympic prowess.

For a nation where half of all income depends on tourism and related services, diversifying can be a daunting task. But Jamaicans are discovering that the same technology that type-casts them offers a universe of employment and business opportunities, without the geographic and economic limitations of the island.