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TALKING POINTS FOR TOURISM MINISTER HON. EDMUND BARTLETT AT THE NBMO WELCOME RECEPTION TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2016

Salutations:

Good evening…

  • It is my sincere pleasure to welcome you on behalf of the Ministry of Tourism and its agencies, as well as the Government and people of Jamaica, to our beautiful island for your 44th Biennial Symposium.
  • We are very happy to be hosting the 400 delegates, family members and friends who are here in Jamaica for this prestigious event.
  • We are truly pleased to have you here in Jamaica and I urge you all to capitalize on this wonderful opportunity to sample our delectable cuisine, enjoy our pulsating Reggae music and experience other aspects of our enchanting culture. 
  • Let me commend the members of National Black McDonalds Owner/Operators Association (NBMOA) for your commitment to the improvement of the communities in which you serve and live and for providing well needed financial and social support to these communities.
  • Ladies and gentlemen, success in the global tourism industry requires this same kind of commitment to the social and economic development of communities in and around the areas where tourism entities operate. This is crucial to ensuring the sustainable development of the sector and is central to what is called - responsible tourism.
  • The Ministry of Tourism remains committed to the ensuring that the sector becomes the engine of economic growth and that the benifits of tourism are spread to more and more Jamaicans in each and every community across the island.
  • In order to achieve this we have set ourselves clear targets. The Ministry, its various agencies and our sector partners are committed to transforming the industry in order to attract 5 million visitors annually and generate earnings of US$ 5 billion by 2021.
  • It is therefore important that we better tap into new and existing markets, this entails capitalizing on the scope of MICE - the Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Events market, under which this type of event falls.
  • The importance to any destination of hosting major events like the NBMOA Symposium is tremendous. As we continue to diversify our tourism product, we are moving to position Jamaica as a premier MICE destination. 
  • With one of the largest meeting facilities in the Caribbean – the award winning Montego Bay Convention Centre, which is now under the portfolio of the Ministry, and a wide range of offerings for both business and leisure travelers, we are confident that we have the right product mix to achieve this.
  • Capitalizing on the MICE market is a key element of our growth strategy and our drive to achieve our goals. I am pleased to say that our growth strategy is already bearing fruit. Our visitor arrival figures continue to rise and our tourism earnings are climbing as well.
  • Our figures indicate that:
  • For the period January to July of this year we welcomed a total of 2,401,147 visitors, representing an overall increase of 6.3% over the same period in 2015.
  • Over this seven month period a total of 1,363,249 stopover visitors graced our shores, an increase of 2.7% over the same period last year, while 1,037,898 cruise passengers visited the island, representing an increase of 11.4% over the same period for 2015.
  • For the same period January to July 2016 we earned US$1.59 billion, which is an increase of 5.2% compared to the US$1.51 billion which we earned over the same period in 2015.
  • So the tourism sector is growing, but not at the rate that I would like to see it. We are striving for double digit growth and tapping into the MICE market is crucial to our growth strategy. So I look forward to welcoming more and more groups like yours to Jamaica as our serene surroundings and world class facilities provide the perfect environment to host events like these.
  • I sincerely wish for you all, a very productive time here in Jamaica, and again I encourage you to take some time out of your schedule to enjoy our wonderful island and its many breathtaking attractions. 
  • Thanks for choosing Jamaica and please come again soon.

Thank you.     

Speech Date: 
Wednesday, March 14, 2018