News Releases

Tourism Minister Calls for Caribbean “Co-petition” to Drive Next Era of Tourism Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; Thursday, July 2, 2026: “The future of tourism will be defined not by the number of visitors destinations attract, but by the value tourism creates for their people,” Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, declared today as he unveiled Jamaica’s Tourism 3.0 Framework at the Americas Investment Forum 2026. Speaking during the leadership panel on “Building a Regionally Integrated Tourism Strategy,” Minister Bartlett said the global tourism industry is entering a new competitive era where destinations succeed by combining resilience, innovation, skilled people, seamless visitor experiences and strong governance to create sustainable economic value. “Jamaica’s Tourism 3.0 Framework recognises that the future of tourism is not simply about growing visitor arrivals, but about growing the value tourism creates for workers, businesses, communities and the wider economy,” Bartlett said. “The destinations that will lead tomorrow are those that invest not only in hotels, but in people, partnerships, productivity, resilience and trust,” he added.

OCHO RIOS, Jamaica; Wednesday, July 1, 2026: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has put the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) on notice that it will be required to play a leading role in driving the new Tourism 3.0 growth agenda across the entire sector. Confident that “ours is a wonderful future ahead” for Jamaica’s tourism, Minister Bartlett told JHTA members at their 65th annual general meeting at Sandals Dunns River recently, that while government is looking at reimagining the tourism product, “the gatekeepers, of which the JHTA is number one, have to reinvent themselves,” adding, “this is your moment to reexamine and to reimagine what you are about and how you are going to move tourism into the next decade.” Having billions of dollars invested in the tourism industry, Minister Bartlett said he wanted to see more of the sector’s investors “being inserted in the leadership and direction of the JHTA.”

Tourism Minister Slated to Tour New Moon Palace Resort in Punta Cana KINGSTON, Jamaica; Tuesday, June 30, 2026: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, departs the island this afternoon for a high-level working visit to the Dominican Republic, where he will represent Jamaica as a featured panellist at the Americas Investment Forum in Santo Domingo and tour one of the Caribbean’s newest mega-resorts. Minister Bartlett is expected to arrive in Punta Cana later this afternoon, for an on-the-ground inspection of the newly established Moon Palace Hotel, a flagship addition to the Dominican Republic’s accommodation portfolio. The visit will give the tourism minister first-hand insight into the property's design, operations and integration into the wider Punta Cana tourism ecosystem, ahead of his participation in regional investment discussions. The property serves as a model for the Moon Palace The Grand Montego Bay luxury resort, now being built in St. James.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; Monday, June 29, 2026: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, has announced plans for a major overhaul of Jamaica’s tourism governance framework through the creation of a new Tourism Authority and supporting legislation designed to modernise oversight of the sector and support the implementation of the new Tourism 3.0 growth agenda. The announcement was made during the Minister’s 2026 Sectoral Debate Presentation in Gordon House recently under the theme “Trust and Confidence,” where he outlined institutional reforms aimed at creating a governance system that is clearer, faster and stronger. The reform package will require legislation to repeal and replace the Tourist Board Act, 1955 and the River Rafting Authority Act, 1970, facilitate the establishment of a new Tourism Authority Act, and create a dedicated Tourism Authority to serve as Jamaica’s principal tourism regulator.

Bartlett Declares New Era Built on Trust, Inclusion and Local Prosperity KINGSTON, Jamaica; Thursday, June 25, 2026: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, has unveiled a new growth agenda dubbed: Tourism 3.0, describing it as Jamaica’s new development architecture designed to transform tourism from a successful industry into a more inclusive and resilient national economic engine rooted in trust, confidence and shared prosperity. Making his 2026 Sectoral Debate Presentation in Gordon House earlier this week, under the theme “Trust and Confidence,” Minister Bartlett positioned Tourism 3.0 as the framework that will guide the next phase of Jamaica’s tourism evolution, one where growth is measured not only by visitor arrivals but by stronger communities, higher local retention, greater resilience and broader economic participation. “Tourism 3.0 is not a slogan. It is a new development architecture for Jamaica,” Bartlett declared.

MONTEGO BAY, St. James, Jamaica; Thursday, June 18, 2026: Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett has called on members of the Jamaican Diaspora to take decisive steps in support of efforts by the Ministry of Tourism to strengthen the resilience of the tourism sector as it pursues a target of attracting 10 million visitors, earn US10 billion, over the next 10 years. Minister Bartlett has challenged the influential Jamaican Diaspora to expand their role beyond sending remittances, to becoming stakeholders and investors in the industry by bringing resource and capital support to the country and being part of marketing initiatives to secure more tourists. Minister Bartlett was the main presenter on a panel at the 11th biennial conference of the Jamaica Diaspora, being held at the Montego Bay Convention Centre this week, exploring the topic “Secure Jamaica’s Future: Building National Climate Tourism and Disaster Resilience.”