MORE THAN 1,500 students from universities and high schools are to be employed next week as summer interns at hotels and tourist attractions to help soften Jamaica's image, says Minister of Tourism, Ed Bartlett.

Bartlett said the Spruce Up Jamaica youth summer programme will see interns, aged 18-25, dispatched to meet and greet visitors at tourist resort centres, Montego Bay, Negril and Ocho Rios, as well as the national capital, Kingston.

"Young people are a part of making the experience of tourists delightful," he said. "They will be courtesy corps volunteers, tour guides in attractions and hotels. They will be visible in areas, kind, nice and hospitable."

Bartlett spoke of the new youth summer and tourism service excellence programmes, which are expected to bolster hospitality, adding a new dimension to the "Caribbean product experience".