Negril on Track to Fully Reopen on December 15

Speaking in Negril on November 28, 2025, Minister Bartlett confirmed that the town’s December 15 reopening is secured, thanks to rapid community-driven cleanup efforts and unwavering investor confidence, positioning the destination for a strong winter season after the disruptions caused by Hurricane Melissa.

New $1 Billion Fund Established to Assist Tourism Workers Impacted by Melissa

During a recovery tour in Ocho Rios on November 24, 2025, Minister Bartlett outlined the creation of a $1 billion public-private fund designed to support tourism workers with housing and rehabilitation needs following Hurricane Melissa, accelerating the sector’s rebound ahead of the winter season.

Jamaica Becomes Caribbean’s Most Connected Destination

In Montego Bay on September 23, 2025, at JAPEX 2025 Minister Bartlett revealed that Jamaica has soared to the top of regional connectivity, achieving unmatched global links through expanded airlift, major infrastructure upgrades, and strategic workforce investments.

Bartlett Names Local First Task Force to Drive Inclusive Tourism Growth

Announced in Montego Bay on September 25, 2025, Minister Edmund Bartlett’s establishment of the Local First Task Force, chaired by Hon. Tova Hamilton, signals a decisive move to strengthen local capacity, reshape policy frameworks, and ensure that Jamaica retains more of the economic value generated as visitor numbers climb.

Global Tourism Resilience Conference 2025

Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett called for global tourism stakeholders to embrace digital technologies to build industry resilience at the opening of the 3^rd Global Tourism Resilience Conference & Expo, held from February 17-19, 2025, at the Princess Grand Jamaica, Hanover.

Latest News

Jamaica Expresses Solidarity with Colombia Following Devastating Earthquake

Bartlett pledges GTRCMC support to strengthen the country’s tourism recovery and resilience KINGSTON, Jamaica; Friday, August 14, 2026: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, has expressed Jamaica’s solidarity with the Government and people of Colombia following the devastating earthquake that struck the country on August 10, 2026, pledging the support and technical expertise of the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCMC) as Colombia begins its recovery and rebuilding efforts. In a letter to Colombia’s Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, Hon. Mauricio Gómez Amín, Minister Bartlett conveyed the deepest sympathies of the Government and people of Jamaica, particularly the tourism community, to those affected by the disaster. “We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life, the injuries sustained and the widespread destruction caused by this disaster,” Minister Bartlett stated, extending Jamaica’s thoughts and prayers to families who have lost loved ones, those awaiting news of relatives and friends, and communities whose homes and livelihoods have been affected.

Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett (2nd right) engages in a vibrant discussion with (from left) Heidi Clarke, Executive Director of the Sandals Foundation, Dr. Kerry-Ann McKenzie, Consultant Pediatrician at the Falmouth Public General Hospital and Karen Zacca, Operations Director at the Sandals Foundation, following Tuesday’s (August 11) launch of Island Challenge Jamaica held at the AC Marriott Hotel in Kingston.

Bartlett Calls for Redefinition of Tourism CSR in Jamaica

Tourism Minister urges businesses to embed community development in their operations as Sandals Foundation brings Island Challenge home KINGSTON, Jamaica; Friday, August 14, 2026: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, is calling for a fundamental redefinition of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in Jamaica’s tourism industry, urging businesses to move beyond charitable giving and become more deeply embedded in the development and resilience of the communities in which they operate. Minister Bartlett made the call on Tuesday (August 11) while delivering the main address at the launch of the Sandals Foundation Island Challenge Jamaica 2026, under the theme “Tourism Doing Good,” at the AC Marriott Hotel in Kingston. The four-day endurance event, scheduled for October 2–5, will take approximately 30 UK athletes, along with local and international partners, on a route spanning Trelawny, St. Ann, St. Mary and St. Andrew. Participants will run, kayak, trek and hike across Jamaica’s landscapes while seeking to raise £100,000 to strengthen neonatal and paediatric healthcare services, including at the Falmouth Public General Hospital.

Minister of Tourism, Founder and Co-Chair of the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre, Hon Edmund Bartlett, makes his keynote presentation during the Canadian-Caribbean Tourism Resilience Symposium at George Brown University on Wednesday July 29, 2026.

Financing Resilience Protects Livelihoods and the Future of Tourism says Minister Bartlett

TORONTO, Canada; July 31, 2026 – Jamaica's Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has put plainly that the financing of resilience building is critical to protecting the livelihoods of tourism dependent countries and, ultimately, the future of tourism. In supporting resilience building in a real sense, destinations will be able to better prepare for, respond to, and recover from increasingly complex global crises, warning that the world has entered a new ‘Age of Resilience.’ Delivering the keynote address at the Canadian-Caribbean Tourism Resilience Symposium, Minister Bartlett said tourism must move beyond traditional recovery efforts and embrace a new model centred on anticipation, adaptation and inclusive financing. “The world has changed. Tourism must change with it,” Minister Bartlett declared. “We must move from reaction to anticipation, from vulnerability to transformation, from fragmented recovery to shared resilience,” he added.