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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Ryan Parkes Named New TEF Chairman

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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Prime Minister Andrew Holness and President of Malta accept Honorary Chairmanship to Global Resilience Centre

KINGSTON, Jamaica; October 28, 2018: Tourism Minister Hon. Edmund Bartlett has announced that Prime Minister, the Most Hon Andrew Holness and Her Excellency Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, President of Malta, have accepted the role of honorary chairmanship to the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre.
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Bartlett to Meet with Maltese President

KINGSTON, Jamaica; October 27, 2018: Tourism Minister Hon. Edmund Bartlett departed the island yesterday to meet with Her Excellency Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, President of Malta and Patron of the Mediterranean Tourism Foundation (MTF), to discuss the country’s possible participation and collaboration, in the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre.
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Nonstop Russian Flight Service Begins

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica; Friday, October 26, 2018: Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett officially welcomed PegasTouristik and Nordwind Airlines, new nonstop flight between Moscow, Russia and Montego Bay, Jamaica today. The flight, which carried two hundred and eighty three (283) passengers and seventeen (17) crew, landed at the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay at 8:13am.
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Tourism Minister Calls for Greater Investment in Jamaica’s Carnival

KINGSTON, Jamaica; October 23, 2018: Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett says his Ministry is leading the charge in developing the Carnival in Jamaica initiative, to strengthen Jamaica’s competitiveness as an entertainment destination. He lauded the initiative for its economic value to the country as it generated record earnings in 2017, and called for greater investments to be made, to further develop the industry.
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Bartlett Pushing for Tourism Innovation City

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica; October 21, 2018: Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett has started plans to create a Tourism Innovation City in Montego Bay. The purpose of the city would be to develop areas of textile, manufacturing and farming among others, to boost the capacity to provide on the supply side of the tourism value chain.
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Prime Minister Holness calls for more Investment in Tourism

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica; October 19, 2018: Prime Minister, the Most Honourable, Andrew Holness has signalled that Jamaica’s Tourism is ripe for more investments given the consistent growth and development in the sector.
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