Government of Jamaica

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News Releases

Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett (second right) leads a unifying group handshake with (from left) Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, Jennifer Griffith, outgoing Chairman of the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), Hon. Godfrey Dyer and incoming TEF Chairman, Ryan Parkes at the Ministry’s One-day Strategic Visioning Retreat held last Wednesday at the AC Marriott Hotel.

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Minister Bartlett Salutes Godfrey Dyer’s 14 Years of Exemplary Service KINGSTON, Jamaica; Thursday, April 30, 2026: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, has named Ryan Parkes, Group Chief Executive Officer of Island Car Rentals and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Tourism Workers Pension Scheme (TWPS), as the new Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), effective May 1, 2026. The appointment, recently approved by Cabinet, was announced at the Ministry’s One-day Strategic Visioning Retreat held on April 22 at the AC Marriott Hotel. In making the announcement, Minister Bartlett also paid tribute to the outgoing TEF Chairman, Hon. Godfrey Dyer, whose 14-year tenure at the helm of the TEF represents the longest record of chairmanship in the fund’s history and one of the longest across government.

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Bartlett to receive Africa Travel and Tourism Award

KINGSTON, Jamaica; Monday, September 23, 2019: Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett has been recognized by the African travel and tourism industry for his exemplary work and contribution to the growth of the sector in Africa and in the Diaspora.

Bartlett to announce Board of Trustees for landmark Pension Scheme

KINGSTON, Jamaica; September 22, 2019: Tourism Minister Hon. Edmund Bartlett, is set to announce the appointment of a Board of Trustees for the recently passed landmark Tourism Workers’ Pension Scheme. Designed to cover all workers ages 18-59 years in the tourism sector, whether permanent, contract or self-employed, the Scheme will cover all categories of workers.

Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre to Establish Five Satellite Centres in Africa

KINGSTON, Jamaica; September 12, 2019: Tourism Minister Hon. Edmund Bartlett has announced that the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCM) will be establishing satellite centres in Kenya, Seychelles, South Africa, Nigeria, and Morocco to expand their reach within the continent.

Tourism Linkages Network to Develop a ‘National Herbaceutical Research Project’

KINGSTON, Jamaica; September 11, 2019: Tourism Minister Hon. Edmund Bartlett says the development of the herbaceuticals sector is also a priority activity within the Tourism Linkages Network of the Ministry Of Tourism, with a national research project currently underway.

Bartlett upbeat about Jamaica’s Country Brand Ranking in Tourism

KINGSTON, Jamaica; September 07, 2019: Tourism Minister Hon. Edmund Bartlett says he is heartened by results of a new study by the Bloom Consulting, which shows Jamaica entering the top-ten tourism country brands in the Americas for 2019-2020, moving up five places since the last assessment.

Bartlett to Attend UNWTO General Assembly in Russia

KINGSTON, Jamaica; September 06, 2019: Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett departs the island tomorrow to participate in the 23rd Session of the United Nations World Tourism Organization’s (UNWTO) General Assembly in Saint Petersburg, Russia.