Recovery of Tourism Sector Still on Track Despite Crisis in Europe – Minister Bartlett

KINGSTON, Jamaica; February 28, 2022: While keeping a close eye on the global instability created by the war in Ukraine, Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett is sounding a positive note for continued buoyancy in Jamaica’s tourism industry.

Coming out of a retreat hosted by the Ministry in Montego Bay on the weekend to examine the recently tabled supplementary estimates, Minister Bartlett lamented the devastation caused by the conflict and underscored the need for a peaceful resolution.

He added that based on an assessment of Jamaica’s main tourism source markets, “notwithstanding the situation in Europe, we are still on a strong recovery path and the retreat allowed for the Ministry and its public bodies to look at engendering further growth of the sector after two years of extreme challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Minister Bartlett said “the tourism sector is primed for growth and we have assurances, especially from our travel partners in the USA and Europe, of confirmed plans for increased flights to Jamaica, starting between April and May. We are, however, constantly assessing the impact of the situation in Ukraine and its implications, especially in light of decisions being taken by airlines to restrict flights between Russia and various countries.”

Mr. Bartlett also disclosed that progress reports were received at the retreat from chairmen of the Tourism Recovery Task Force Committees, set up in light of the pandemic to examine various aspects of the industry and make recommendations on the way forward to expedite the sector’s recovery.

“Over the next few weeks, we will be analyzing these reports and will discuss relevant recommendations with our tourism partners and make a determination on the implementation programme going forward,” said Mr. Bartlett.