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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Strong Regional Support for Tourism Resilience Centre

MONTEGO BAY, St. James; July 8 2018: Tourism Minister, Hon Edmund Bartlett is confirming strong regional support for the establishment of the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre, which is expected to be operational in September of this year.

TEF Rewards Holland High With $J2.5M Computer Equipment

FALMOUTH, Trelawny, Friday, July 6, 2018: The importance of safeguarding the environment was underscored by Executive Director of the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), Dr Carey Wallace at the official opening of a computer room furnished with 27 laptops and other computer equipment valued at $2.5 million to the Holland High School on Tuesday July 3, 2018. The computer room has also been outfitted with a projector and screen with surround sound.

Tourism Booms Despite Enhanced Security Measures

MONTEGO BAY, St. James; Friday July 6, 2018: Quick, aggressive and sustained interventions by the Edmund Bartlett led Ministry of Tourism and the Jamaica Tourist Board, to counter some effects of enhanced security measures implemented in the parish of St. James in January of this year, have proven successful.

Resilience through Tourism Summit Endorses the Global Centre for Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management

KINGSTON, Jamaica; June 29, 2018: Jamaica’s Tourism Minister, the Hon. Edmund Bartlett announced the unveiling of The Global Centre for Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management during the Resilience for Tourism Summit in Amman, Jordan this week to astounding endorsement from the international tourism community.

Bartlett Appoints PWC Senior Exeutive to Guide Expanded Tourism Working Group

KINGSTON, Jamaica, June 25, 2018: Prominent PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) partner, Wilfred Baghaloo, has been appointed by Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett to lead technical arrangements for a Tourism Working Group assessing various issues in Jamaica’s rapidly growing tourism sector.

Tourism Linkages Network Trains 26 Hotel DJs

KINGSTON, Jamaica; June 22, 2018: Entertainment in the island’s hotels received a boost, with the certifying of 26 hospitality workers, who participated in the inaugural Tourism Linkages Network's DJ Capacity Enhancement Training Programme.