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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Grange Pen to Get a J$960 Million Infrastructural Upgrade

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica; March 30, 2019: The Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) is investing a little under $J1 billion for the Resort Squatter Settlements Upgrade Project for the community of Grange Pen in St. James.

Major Tourism Attraction to be developed around birthplace of Jimmy Cliff

MONTEGO BAY, St. James; March 29, 2019: Tourism Minister, Hon Edmund Bartlett has indicated plans to fully develop the community of Somerton in St. James, where cultural icon Jimmy Cliff was born, as a major tourism attraction.

JAMAICA VOTED ONE OF THE BEST DESTINATIONS IN THE WORLD BY TRIPADVISOR

KINGSTON, Jamaica; March 27, 2019: Jamaica has been listed in the Top 25 Best Destinations in the World for 2019 on renowned travel website TripAdvisor. The island is the only country in the Caribbean to do so, and ranks among destinations such as London, Rome and Paris.

Bartlett Welcomes Tourism Graduate School for 2020

MONTEGO BAY, St. James; March 22, 2019: Tourism Minister, Hon Edmund Bartlett has welcomed the establishment of a Graduate School of Tourism by 2020, which will be based at the University of the West Indies’ Western Campus.

Tourism Linkages Speed Networking Event Yields over $630 million in contracts for Local Entrepreneurs

KINGSTON, Jamaica; March 21, 2019: Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett yesterday revealed that his Ministry’s Tourism Linkages Speed Networking event has resulted in local Small and Medium Tourism Enterprises (SMTEs) negotiating contracts valued at over $630 million, over the past three years.

Tourism Driving Economic Growth through Events and Experiential Activities

KINGSTON, Jamaica; March 18, 2019: Tourism Minister, Hon Edmund Bartlett says Jamaica’s tourism industry has benefitted tremendously from the recent staging of mega culinary and entertainment festivals.