News Releases

PS in the Ministry of Tourism, Jennifer Griffith (2nd right) engages in a lively discussion with Bishop Everton Lawrence of Faith Temple Assemblies of God (left), Junior Minister of Tourism and Montego Bay High School student, ThaeJadore Kerr (2nd left) and member of the Board of Directors for Jamaica Vacations (JAMVAC), Tricia-Ann Bicarie, following yesterday’s (September 27) Thanksgiving Church Service to mark World Tourism Day and kickstart Tourism Awareness Week 2026, which runs from Sept 27 – Oct 3.

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AI and Other Digital Technology Being Used to Transform Tourism Sector - Bartlett

Thanksgiving Church Service Kickstarts Tourism Awareness Week 2026 MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica; Monday, September 28, 2026: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, has stressed that artificial intelligence and other digital technology are being used to strategically transform Jamaica’s tourism sector. This as the Ministry of Tourism, its public bodies and industry stakeholders, joined global partners in marking the annual UN-Tourism backed World Tourism Day (WTD), with a thanksgiving church service yesterday (September 27). The service also officially kick-started Tourism Awareness Week (TAW) 2026, being observed from September 27 to October 3, under the theme “Digital Agenda and Artificial Intelligence to Redesign Tourism,” in keeping with the theme selected by UN Tourism for WTD. In a message read by Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, Jennifer Griffith, Minister Bartlett said the ministry was “actively leveraging AI and digital technology to modernise the sector through key initiatives such as real-time concierges, deploying multilingual digital concierges, and structured content to optimise visitor bookings, as well as predictive analytics.”

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Suspension on Issuing New Tourism Licenses Recommended by Working Group

KINGSTON, Jamaica; September 27, 2018: Minister of Tourism, the Hon Edmund Bartlett has signalled that with the current linkages challenges in the tourism industry, the transportation and attractions sectors have come into sharp focus by the Wilfred Baghaloo led Tourism Working Group. This decision is based on recommendations from the working group.

Bartlett Launches Hospitality & Tourism Management Programme for High Schools

KINGSTON, Jamaica; September 26, 2018: Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett has officially launched the Hospitality and Tourism Management Programme (HTMP). The HTMP is the first of its kind certification programme for high schools developed by the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute (AHLEI) and will allow students to gain entry-level qualification in tourism.

Tourism Minister to Meet with Tour Operators in London

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica; September 26, 2018: Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett departed the island yesterday to attend the Jamaica Travel Market (JTM) in London. This trip forms part of the Ministry’s new strategy to aggressively target new and traditional markets, to attain double-digit growth and promote Jamaica as the ideal winter tourism destination.

Jamaica embraces Japan’s place of pre-eminence in the field of Tourism Resilience

TOKYO, Japan; September 25, 2018: Honourable Edmund Bartlett, Minister of Tourism, along with His Excellency Ricardo Allicock, Jamaica’s Ambassador to Japan, met recently, with Mr. Hiromi Tagawa, President of the Japan Association of Travel Agents (JATA) and Chairman of the Board of the JTB Corp., to continue discussions on Japan’s partnership with Jamaica in the establishment of a Global Centre for Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management, which is to be housed at the University of the West Indies, Mona.

2017 was the most Significant Growth Year for Tourism – says Bartlett

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica; September 24, 2018: Tourism Minister, Hon Edmund Bartlett says that 2017 has been the most significant year to date in the island’s tourism history – shattering records in arrivals, earnings and investments.

Japan Joins the Global Tourism Resilience Centre Board of Governors

Tokyo, Japan; September 21, 2018: Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett met, today, with the immediate past President of the Japan National Tourism Organisation (JNTO), Dr. Ryoichi Matsuyama, who is also the current Trustee of the prestigious International University of Japan, as part of his engagements with senior level officials of Japan’s Tourism Sector, to further deepen cooperation between Jamaica and Japan’s tourism, as well as forge partnerships in the establishment of the Global Centre for Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management in Jamaica. The meeting was convened in the margins of the 2018 Japan Tourism Expo, which is being held in Tokyo, Japan, from 20th to 23rd September 2018.

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