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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Tourism Demand Study to Look at Needs of the Industry

MONTEGO BAY, St. James; May 11, 2018: Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has tasked the Tourism Linkages Council to complete the tourism demand study by August this year.

$3B for Tourism Housing, Pension and NSWMA

KINGSTON, JAMAICA; Wednesday, May 9, 2018: Tourism workers are on the brink of benefitting from housing and pension funded by the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) to the tune of $2 billion. The TEF has also earmarked another $1 billion for the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA).

Safety, Security Top Priority for Region’s Tourism – Bartlett urges

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica; Tuesday, May 1, 2018: Faced with the reality of the Caribbean being the most tourism-dependent region on earth, Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett has pointed regional commissioners of police to the need for an integrated approach to ensuring the safety and security of visitors.

Tourism Committed to Sustainable Development Goals

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica; April 29, 2018: The role of tourism in Jamaica achieving its sustainable development goals (SDGs) for 2030, has been highlighted at the 19 th annual Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social and Economic Studies (SALISES) conference, held over three days at the Holiday Inn Resort.

Delta Adds New Non-Stop Flights to Kingston

KINGSTON, Jamaica; April 25, 2018: Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett today announced that major American airline Delta, will add new daily non-stop flights between Kingston and New York City's John F Kennedy International Airport, starting December 20, 2018.

Jamaica to Sign Multi-Destination MOU with Peru

LIMA, Peru; Tuesday April 24, 2018: Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett will sign a Multi Destination Marketing Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Peru to strengthen tourism in both countries. The Multi-Destination MOU is slated to be signed in October this year.