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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Inaugural Blue Mountain Coffee Festival Draws More than 1000 People

KINGSTON, Jamaica; March 26, 2018: Preliminary figures indicate that approximately 1100 patrons attended the inaugural staging of the Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee Festival hosted by the Tourism Linkages Network of the Ministry of Tourism.

Jamaica Named Best Destination in the Caribbean

KINGSTON, Jamaica; March 22, 2018: Jamaica is celebrating its #1 ranking on the TripAdvisor® Travelers’ Choice™ awards’ B est Destinations in the Caribbean list. The well respected planning and booking website highlighted the Caribbean’s best islands based on the quantity and quality of reviews and ratings for hotels, restaurants and attractions.

JCTI Makes Successful Start

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica; Monday, March 21, 2018: Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett says, the Jamaica Centre of Tourism Innovation (JCTI) has made a promising start with 12 hotels and over 150 individuals participating in its pilot of two important certification programmes.

Ground Broken for TEF Funded Hampden Wharf Development Project

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica; March 17, 2018: Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett says the Hampden Wharf Development Project, will further his Ministry’s efforts to reposition the town of Falmouth as one of the Caribbean's premier cruise destinations and leading resort towns.

Greater Investment in Tourism Supplies Needed

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica; Friday, March 16, 2018: With thousands of new hotel rooms coming on stream in the next two years, Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett is making a case for major investments to meet a greater demand for supplies in growing the tourism sector.

Bartlett Garners International Support For Disaster Resilience Centre

KINGSTON, Jamaica; March 13, 2018: Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett says that a number of key global personalities and professionals are expressing interest to participate, at a very high level, in structuring the region’s first Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre.