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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Airbnb First Platinum Sponsor for Tourism Global Conference

KINGSTON, Jamaica; August 24, 2017: Online marketplace and hospitality service Airbnb has committed approximately J$8.3 million to the Government of Jamaica, towards the staging of the UNWTO, GOJ, World Bank Group Conference on Jobs & Inclusive Growth: Partnerships for Sustainable Tourism.

World Travel and Tourism Council to Collaborate With Jamaica for Global Conference

KINGSTON, Jamaica; August 22, 2017: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett says, the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) is to collaborate with the Government of Jamaica in the staging United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), Government of Jamaica and World Bank Group Conference on Jobs & Inclusive Growth: Partnerships for Sustainable Tourism, being held in November at the Montego Bay Convention Centre, St. James.

Jamaica To Be Number One Destination For British Tourists In Caribbean

London, United Kingdom – August 9, 2017: Headlining a packed dinner with United Kingdom (UK) Travel Industry executives in London, Tourism Minister, Edmund Bartlett charged them to increase to 250,000 the number of UK stopover tourist arrivals to Jamaica, thereby exceeding Barbados as the leading Caribbean destination for British visitors.

TEF $1.2B for MoBay, says Bartlett

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica; July 31, 2017: Having spent $2.8 billion from the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) in the Montego Bay area over the last ten years, the Ministry of Tourism is ploughing an additional $1.2 billion over the next four years to enhance the physical appearance of the resort town.

Minister Bartlett Urges More Jamaicans to Own Tourism Inputs

KINGSTON, Jamaica; July 27, 2017: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett says more Jamaicans need to own the inputs of tourism so that the country can benefit from a raise in the level of retention of earnings from the industry.

Tourism Minister Signs Contract For UNWTO Conference With The Jamaica National Group

Minister of Tourism, the Hon. Edmund Bartlett and Mr. Earl Jarrett, chief executive officer of The Jamaica National Group (JN Group) yesterday, July 26, 2017, signed an agreement under which the JN Group will provide planning, management and execution services for mounting of the United Nations World Tourism Organization’s (UNWTO) International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development Conference, from November 27 to 29 at the Montego Bay Convention Centre, St. James.