Jamaica Leads Multi-Destination Tourism Discussions at WTTC Global Summit

KINGSTON, Jamaica; April 27, 2021: Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett today convened a high level meeting with regional tourism ministers in Cancun Mexico, to discuss the finalization of arrangements for the implementation of a multi-destination tourism framework and agreement to bolster arrivals.

Mexico, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Panama and Cuba were key players in the discussions and are hoping to finalise this agreement, the first of its kind, to commence by the start of the 2022/2023 Winter Season. This follows years of ongoing discussions between countries in the region to develop multi-destination tourism, in order to fuel growth within the sector.

The meeting, chaired by Jamaica, also focused on establishing a task force, to be led by Mexico and Jamaica, to prepare a draft document by June 2021. “This is being done with the hope that the draft document will be ready for discussion and acceptance at the United Nations World Tourism Organization’s Commission of the Americas (CAM) meeting, which will be held in Kingston on June 19, 2021,”Minister Bartlett explained.

“This agreement will enable joint marketing arrangements between these countries, while also providing tourists with the option to enjoy multi-destination experiences during their vacations at attractive package prices. It will be a game changer in tourism diplomacy and economic convergences in the Caribbean region,” Mr. Bartlett added.

Present at today’s multi-destination meeting were: His Excellency, Miguel David Collado Morales, Minister of Tourism for Dominican Republic; His Excellency, Ivan Eskildsen, Minister of Tourism for Panama; and His Excellency, Miguel Torruco Marqués, Secretary of Tourism, Mexico.

The parties will re-convene tomorrow with the addition of His Excellency,
Julián Guerrero Orozco, Vice Minister of Tourism for Colombia, to discuss the provision of aid to volcano affected St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Her Excellency, Nicole Marrder, Minister of Tourism for Honduras has also been invited to attend.

Minister Bartlett is currently in Cancun, Mexico for the World Travel & Tourism Council’s (WTTC) Global Summit 2021. The event is being held in partnership with the Government of Quintana Roo, under the theme ‘Uniting the World for Recovery,’ and will run from April 25-27 in Cancun.