The whatsonjamaica.com came into being in April this year, and is already being promoted as a premier entertainment site for any event taking place in Jamaica.

"Hopefully, it's the site which will be known for everything Jamaican," said director, Peter Couch. "It is a way by which any Jamaicans can get their events across at a low cost. Anyone can call us with an event or service, we can add it within a minute."

The idea behind 'whatsonjamaica.com' is to provide a website to boost the island's tourism by informing persons in countries around the world about local events and services so they can plan their vacations with these dates in mind, Couch explained.

Locals also get a chance to advertise their event at a low cost while persons seeking information about events gain easy access to what will be held, where and when.

"It trickles the economy of tourism into the little man instead of trying to keep him out of it," Couch noted. "It is not just a company or product, it helps promote and plan an event better and find out what other artistes are doing on those dates."

At whatsonjamaica.com, visitors can browse or search for specific events and services. Visitors to the site can also post events and services for a minimal set up fee of J$100, and a daily rate of $100 plus tax.

A unique feature of whatsonjamaica.com is the special events section, which displays public holidays in Jamaica and the United States as well as the birthdays of local icons such as Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Haile Selassie.

Couch's working knowledge of the entertainment industry and a drive to actively promote local events worldwide was what led him to create this website.

Though new features are being added to the site almost daily, the director hopes whatsonjamaica.com will eventually be known as the website for Jamaican entertainment.

"I want to see whatsonjamaica become a web site known all over the world, where people in Japan, Australia, or anywhere, who wants to know anything about Jamaica, can go in, put in data and see it come up.

"It could be an incredible way of getting tourism to Jamaica," he said.

The whatsonjamaica.com website currently employs four persons and its offices are located at 133 Barbican Road in Kingston.

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